Aside from negotiating a deal that both sides can agree to, lining up the finances with the NBA’s rules and restrictions is the challenging part about making trades. Front offices have to look down the tunnel and envision how the salary cap will affect them if a specific move is made.
Furthermore, executive Lawrence Frank designated Norman Powell to the trade block immediately after the LA Clippers were eliminated in the playoffs. Powell was phenomenal, but LA had seen enough of his playoff inconsistencies.
The Miami Heat ended up making a serious inquiry for the former UCLA Bruin, yet several teams had to have been interested. He had the best season of his career and proved on the Clippers that he can succeed in any role a coach could think of.
On July 8th, the three-team trade with the Heat and Utah Jazz was revealed, but to make it to this point, the Clippers must write a thank-you card to a former three-point specialist in Miami who decided at the end of June that Miami is not where he wanted to be.
Duncan Robinson declining his player-option ultimately gave the LA Clippers John Collins
The Miami Heat had to have space for Norman Powell’s $20.4 million contract. Throughout 2025-26, Bam Adebayo will receive $37 million, Tyler Herro will receive $31 million, Andrew Wiggins will receive $28 million, and Terry Rozier will receive $26 million.
With these four players, who will be earning, roughly, a combined $122 million just next season, the Heat would initially not have had room for Powell, which ultimately leaves John Collins on the Utah Jazz.
But by the player-option decision day, veteran three-point specialist Duncan Robinson chose to decline. It was surprising that he was ready to move on after seven seasons in the league with the Heat, but later, a sign-and-trade occurred, and the former undrafted free agent was on the Detroit Pistons.
This move provided the Heat with space for a player of Powell’s contract type, and soon after the Pistons officially announced Robinson’s sign-and-trade, Miami was in the midst of a three-team trade with the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz.
Everyone involved had a positive reaction to the move, especially the Clippers, as their dream forward joined LA at the perfect time with James Harden and Chris Paul on the team.
Had Robinson made a different decision, such as accepting his player-option, the Clippers would have been coerced into finding another team for Powell, possibly taking Collins out of the equation.