Heat rumors: Insider sends Norman Powell warning after Giannis trade

The Miami Heat were guaranteed a stressful summer regardless of what they decided do this offseason. They would either enter another campaign without a legitimate superstar and continue their timeshare in No Man’s Land, or they would part with a big chunk of the roster in order to acquire said superstar. Pat Riley took the path that leads to the higher ceiling and completed a massive trade to land Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And now the legendary coach and executive must figure out how to maximize the potential of this historic move. Re-signing Norman Powell could be a nice place to start, but Miami does not currently boast much flexibility, especially following the big Andrew Wiggins news. The All-Star wing is commanding interest from the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, so there is a chance the Heat fall behind in a Powell bidding war.

Sixth Man of the Year finalist Tim Hardaway Jr., aging point guard Mike Conley Jr. and veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield are reportedly potential targets, which has longtime NBA writer Kevin O’Connor questioning management’s offseason plans. He believes bringing back Powell should top the to-do list.

“Here’s another word: bleak,” O’Connor wrote for Yahoo Sports. “Example sentence: The Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Miami is off to a bleak start if Hardaway and Conley are priority targets in free agency.

“That is not meant as disrespect to either player. Hardaway just had one of the best regular seasons of his career, but he fell off a cliff in the playoffs, which has become an annual occurrence for him. Conley can still organize an offense, but he can no longer be expected to play heavy minutes. When a franchise lands Giannis, the first names connected to its offseason should probably sound a little more ambitious than a 34-year-old streaky shooter and a 39-year-old point guard.”

What will Heat do next?

O’Connor has a point. Urgency should be pulsating through South Beach following the arrival of an NBA Finals MVP and two-time regular season MVP. Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are poised to lead one of the most smothering defensive units in the league next season, but more reinforcements in the backcourt will likely be necessary if the Heat are going to challenge the New York Knicks and other Eastern Conference contenders.

O’Connor thinks this conundrum leaves Riley with no choice but to court free agent Norman Powell, who averaged 21.7 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3-point land in 58 games for Miami last season.

“That is why retaining Powell should be the priority, no matter what it takes to dump {Nikola} Jović, given how unappealing the alternatives are,” Kevin O’Connor opined. “Powell plus two of Conley, Hardaway and Hield sounds a whole lot better than a backcourt plan built only around the leftovers.”

Pat Riley presumably has some time to work something out with Norman Powell if he so chooses. Fans will demand a strong follow-up to the Giannis Antetokounmpo coup, so Miami cannot relax now.

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