There has been plenty of smoke surrounding the idea that the Detroit Pistons could sign Norman Powell in free agency this summer. However, there was always the slight possibility that the Miami Heat could restructure things and bring him back. But now that Andrew Wiggins has officially opted into his player option, that seems unlikely.
Originally, with the report that Wiggins had signed a new extension, it seemed as though he may have declined his player option and inked a new deal, giving Miami flexibility. That could have helped the Heat re-sign Powell. But Wiggins picked up his player option and extended.
So, the door is still wide open for the Pistons to make a run at Powell.
Andrew Wiggins contract clears even more room for Pistons to target Norman Powell
Right after the Heat made their blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, reports began circling that Miami would likely not be bringing Powell back into the fold.
However, there was still a small chance that they could find a way to do so. If Wiggins declined his player option and inked a new contract that was for a lower mark in the 2026-27 season, it would have given Miami more breathing room.
They could have used that extra room to try to bring Powell back, giving them a great perimeter scoring option to play alongside their star frontcourt of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
At first, it seemed like that was the case. Shams Charania of ESPN revealed that Wiggins had signed a three-year, $64 million extension with the Heat, which would imply that he declined his player option and extended – much like Trae Young did and James Harden is projected to do.
But Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that Wiggins actually accepted his player option. And eventually, it was revealed that Wiggins did, in fact, pick up his option. He just signed on for two more years after it at $34 million, bringing the total to $64 million.
Because of that, the Heat almost definitely won’t have the money to bring back Powell now. That opens the door even further for the Pistons to go after him.
Bringing Powell in would be great for Cade Cunningham, as the Pistons would finally provide him with a legitimate secondary scoring option to play alongside.
Powell would slot in nicely at the shooting guard spot, playing next to a lineup of Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren. That group would definitely be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference next season.
There might be better options, but Powell would be a solid one.
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