After months of waiting, following his decline since the trade deadline, the LA Clippers have officially traded Norman Powell in a three-team package, involving the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz. This massive deal gives head coach Tyronn Lue, and more notably, James Harden, a lob threat he could only dream of.
Furthermore, in this deal, Powell’s premiere scoring is shipped to the Heat, and LA lands John Collins, a ridiculously talented an athletic power forward. The Jazz, as the last team, received Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and a 2027 second-round pick.
BREAKING: The Clippers, Jazz and Heat have agreed to a trade that sends Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to Los Angeles, and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick to the Jazz, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/o0FkV0o2l8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 7, 2025
Initially, all three teams won the deal. The Clippers found a stretch big to shine in the front-court next to Ivica Zubac, moving Kawhi Leonard to small forward. The Heat attained an elite scorer to pair next to Tyler Herro, and Utah latched on to two quality veterans and a draft pick while also moving on from Collins.
Conversely, time will only tell, yet the Clippers could be the only losers of the three. They could have easily acquired more for a talent like Powell; instead, they settled and are left with a top-tier alley-oop machine who presents several weaknesses as a power forward.
The LA Clippers shut down their chances of contention next season by making a chaotic three-team trade
The LA Clippers receiving just John Collins, with no draft capital attached, is a surprise, as the front office needs to add as many picks as possible. However, what is even worse is that Tyronn Lue needs a player like Norman Powell, who can score at all three levels, when Kawhi Leonard rests or is missing time.
Flowers and praise are given to James Harden for the success LA had in the regular season, but Powell also dominated and was on a tear before the trade deadline.
Nonetheless, the Clippers landed an all-star talent who recently averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds, shooting 52.7% from the floor and 39.9% from three-point range. This is great, but the aspect that most critics are ignoring is that he is 28, is not as capable as Lue may want in defending power forwards, and has had a negative assist-turnover ratio in the last two seasons.
These key weaknesses make it difficult to believe Collins will thrive alongside Zubac, leading to inevitable struggles for the Clippers, as their second-leading scorer is now in a position to flourish in the wide-open Eastern Conference.