Clippers, Heat, and Jazz Finalize Trade Sending Powell to Miami, Collins to L.A.
The Clippers, Heat, and Jazz have completed a three-team trade that reshapes each roster ahead of the 2025-26 season. According to sources familiar with the deal, Norman Powell is headed to Miami, John Collins lands with the Clippers, and Utah receives Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and a 2027 second-round pick from L.A.
Powell, 32, is coming off a breakout season in which he averaged a career-best 21.8 points per game, shot 42% from three, and started all 60 games he played for the first time in his career. The former Sixth Man of the Year candidate is expected to bring much-needed scoring punch to a Heat team that is retooling after a rough season — one that included trading franchise star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors and a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of Cleveland.
Known for his work ethic and relentless motor, Powell should seamlessly fit into Miami’s culture. He’s entering the final year of his contract, worth $20.4 million, and is eligible for an extension.
The Clippers, meanwhile, bolster their frontcourt with Collins, 27, a 6-foot-9 athletic big man who averaged 19 points and 8.2 rebounds in 40 games with the Jazz last season. He, too, is in the final year of his deal, set to earn $26.5 million. Sources say neither Powell nor Collins were expected to re-sign with their original teams, prompting the move.
Powell had been a standout bench scorer in L.A. before thriving as a starter while Kawhi Leonard missed the early portion of last season. However, the Clippers have been prioritizing cap flexibility as they retool around Leonard and recently re-signed James Harden to a two-year, $81.5 million contract. That deal includes a player option and partial guarantee in year two. The team also added veteran center Brook Lopez on a two-year, $18 million contract with a team option for the second season. With the trade, L.A. still has the $5.3 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception available and may look to add a shooting guard or playmaking point guard.
As for Utah, the Jazz continue to reshape their roster and salary sheet. By moving Collins, they create a $26.6 million trade exception and add a future second-round pick. Earlier in the offseason, Utah also dealt Collin Sexton and a second-rounder to Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic and executed a contract buyout with veteran guard Jordan Clarkson.
Kevin Love, 36, a five-time All-Star, contributed modestly in Miami last season, averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23 games. Kyle Anderson, 31, joined the Heat in the midseason Jimmy Butler trade with Golden State and put up 6.7 points per game in 25 appearances.
The trade is part of a dizzying wave of deals this offseason, capped by what is now officially the largest transaction in NBA history. That deal — a seven-team mega-trade originally sparked by Kevin Durant’s move from Phoenix to Houston on June 22 — involved the Rockets, Hawks, Nets, Warriors, Lakers, Timberwolves, and Suns. In total, the trade featured six players (including Durant, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Clint Capela), 13 draft picks (including the No. 10 overall pick used by Phoenix on Khaman Maluach), and multiple pick swaps and cash considerations.
The dust may be settling now, but this summer’s trade season has dramatically reshaped the NBA landscape — and it’s not over yet.
