Trading John Collins and Norman Powell is a disaster for LA

As it is Los Angeles Clippers continue their early season slide, the impact of the trade that sent Norman Powell to the Miami Heat and brought John Collins from the Utah Jazz has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Following a 129–101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, the Clippers fell to 4-11, marking their third straight loss on a grueling seven-game road trip.

trade, part of a three-team deal with Miami and Utahhas significantly favored the Heat, who are now 9-6 and hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Powered by one of the league’s most efficient offenses, averaging 123.6 points per game, Miami flourished with Powell’s arrival. The 32-year-old guard has elevated his game even more, building on his All-Star performance from last season with a career-best start at South Florida.

Through 12 games, Powell is averaging 25.4 points, four rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 49.5% from the field, 47% from three-point range and 93.3% from the free throw line. He’s playing 31.1 minutes a night and is on the verge of becoming just that 10th player in NBA history to make it the elusive 50/50/90 shooting split. Of the nine players who have done so, seven are either in the Hall of Fame or on track for the Hall of Fame.

While Norman Powell is thriving with the Heat, John Collins is struggling to live up to expectations with the Clippers

In Miami’s recent win over the Golden State Warriors, Powell finished with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal, shooting 10-for-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in just 28 minutes. A ClutchPoints graphic circulating on social media has Powell scoring more points than Anthony Edwards, making more three-pointers than Kevin Durant, boasting a better free throw percentage than Shai Gildžius-Alexander and shooting a higher field goal percentage than Stephen Curry.

Norman Powell plays like an All-Star, plain and simple.

When the 11-year pro from UCLA failed to make the All-Star Game last season, he was pissed.

And he had a case.

However, after being traded from the Clippers to the Heat this offseason, he is leaving no… pic.twitter.com/ZA5CuavHEp

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 21, 2025

Meanwhile, Collins is struggling to make a consistent impact for the Clippers. The 28-year-old forward is averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, his lowest totals since his freshman season in 2017-18. He is shooting 50.4% from the field and just 32.4% from three in 15 games, six of which he has started, while averaging 25.3 minutes per game.

In the loss to Orlando, Collins had nine points, four rebounds, a block and a steal while shooting 4-for-8 in 25 minutes. His production fell short of expectations, especially given the high cost of losing Powell – a proven scorer and leader on and off the court.

The Clippers will try to stop their slump Saturday afternoon against the Charlotte Hornets, who also have a 4-11 record. Meanwhile, the Heat begin a short two-game road trip with a Friday night contest against the Chicago Bulls (8–6) as Powell continues to thrive in his new surroundings. As the disparity between the two sides of the trade grows, the decision to part ways with Powell is already becoming a costly misstep for Los Angeles.