Heat's Bobby Portis Calls Out Norman Powell for Giannis Trade Remark, 'Keep My Name Out Your Mouth'

Miami Heat forward Bobby Portis took issue Monday night with comments former Heat and current Chicago Bulls guard Norman Powell made about Portis being part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.

During an interview this week with Mark Medina of Fadeaway World, Powell suggested that Portis' inclusion alongside Giannis in Miami's trade with the Milwaukee Bucks was the reason why the Heat could not re-sign him.

"Honestly, I thought I would be going back to Miami throughout the course of the year," Powell said. "We knew they wanted to get Giannis. We heard some rumblings that 'Norm, Bam [Adebayo] and Giannis sounds really good.' So I thought that was the path. But when the trade is on the table, that was in the season and I don't know the talks behind it. I don't know what Milwaukee's stance was.

"But it seemed like they were like, 'If you want Giannis, you have to take Bobby Portis.' I think that played a part with the CBA rules and the hard cap with sending out money and receiving money. That put a tough swing on things, in my eyes. But I could be totally wrong."

In a subsequent post on X, Portis told Powell to "keep my name out your mouth," and Powell suggested in his response that he meant no disrespect:

Portis' reaction was seemingly born from the notion that Powell was framing him as a throw-in or salary dump in the trade rather than an important part of it.

Even with Portis being included in the trade, Powell acknowledged that there were other moves the Heat could have made to keep him, including Andrew Wiggins opting out of his contract to take less money, and trading Nikola Jović.

While Giannis was unquestionably the centerpiece of the trade, Portis figures to be a key part of Miami's success this coming season in his own right.

Entering his 12th NBA season, the 31-year-old Portis owns career averages of 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and he was particularly productive during his six-year stint with the Bucks, averaging 13.6 points and 8.0 boards.

Portis finished third in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting in both 2023 and 2024, and last season he averaged 13.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 three-pointers made and 1.6 assists per contest, while shooting 48.8 percent from and field and 45.6 percent from beyond the arc.

The Heat parted with much of their depth in order to land Giannis, sending Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis to Milwaukee.

Because of that, head coach Erik Spoelstra figures to make Portis a significant part of his rotation along with Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Wiggins, Jović, Davion Mitchell and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Losing Powell could prove damaging to the Heat after he averaged 21.7 points per game en route to his first All-Star selection last season, but Miami was willing to pay that price in order to land Giannis and Portis.