The Clippers, Jazz and Heat have reached an agreement on a three-team trade, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will send Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A. and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick to Utah.
Powell is coming off the best scoring season of his career and will bring more offensive punch to Miami’s backcourt. After finishing fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting in consecutive seasons, Powell was moved into the starting lineup and responded by averaging 21.8 PPG while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.
Powell, 32, will make $20.5MM next season before becoming a free agent in 2026. He’s eligible for a three-year extension worth $80.6MM, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Clippers were reluctant to give Powell a long-term extension, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden both signed through 2026/27, the team is preserving cap space for 2027 free agency.
Miami will use the Expanded Traded Player Exception to acquire Powell, Marks adds (Twitter link) and will be $1.3MM over the luxury tax with unlikely bonuses for Tyler Herro factored in.
The deal will leave the Heat hard capped to the first apron, states cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Miami will be just $3.9MM away from that threshold once the trade is complete, so it won’t be able to use the full taxpayer midlevel exception of $5.7MM. Gozlan also speculates that acquiring Powell means the team is no longer interested in Bradley Beal, who is believed to be nearing a buyout with Phoenix.
Collins, 27, will bring more frontcourt depth to a Clippers team that recently added Brook Lopez in free agency. Collins has been a starter in Utah since being acquired from Atlanta two years ago, but he was limited to 40 games last season. He has one year left on his contract at $26.6MM and can sign an extension worth up to $100.5MM over three years, per Marks.
L.A. is now $6.7MM below the first apron with $5.3MM of its midlevel exception remaining, according to Gozlan (Twitter link). With their best shooter now gone, Gozlan expects the Clippers to be in the market for Beal.
Anderson, 31, has been a useful contributor on contending teams throughout his career, but it’s not clear how he fits in with the rebuilding Jazz. His contract covers two more seasons at $9.2MM and $9.7MM, but 2026/27 is non-guaranteed. Love, who’ll turn 37 in September, has a $4.15MM expiring deal and may become a buyout candidate.
Gozlan notes that Utah can create a $26.6MM trade exception by using the midlevel exception to take on Anderson and Love (Twitter link). The Jazz can reach roughly $22MM in cap space by waiving the non-guaranteed contracts of KJ Martin ($8MM) and Jaden Springer ($2.4) and could be in position to make a play for one of the remaining free agents.