Clippers receive terrible Bradley Beal news as Norman Powell trade ages poorly

The high-stakes moves made by the Los Angeles Clippers this season have not paid off. Not only has Bradley Beal, one of their new marquee signings, been ruled out for the rest of the NBA campaign, but the earlier trade involving Norman Powell has also severely disadvantaged the Los Angeles franchise.

On Wednesday , the Clippers officially announced that Beal has been diagnosed with a hip fracture and will undergo season-ending surgery. His timetable for recovery is expected to be about six to nine months.

After two disappointing seasons with the Suns where he failed to meet expectations, the Clippers had bet on Beal to provide crucial scoring support for James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. However, the injury bug has once again attacked the sharpshooter, who has played no more than 53 games in the last five seasons.

Beal’s arrival was intended to fill the scoring role that Norman Powell could not execute during his final season in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles franchise orchestrated a three-team deal that sent Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to the Utah Jazz, while Powell went to the Miami Heat. In return, the Clippers received forward John Collins.

Norman Powell is injoying a hot start with the Miami Heat. (Getty Images)

So far, the only clear beneficiaries of that complex trade are the Heat, who are enjoying one of the best starts to Powell’s career. While Collins is not performing poorly (averaging 12.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game), his production is far short of what the Clippers sought in the former Jazz forward.

Powell’s immediate impact on the Heat

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The Miami Heat are thriving with Powell’s scoring, as he is averaging 24.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 46.0% from the floor and 45.8% from three-point range.

With Tyler Herro still recovering from surgery and yet to debut this season, Powell has quickly made the Miami star’s absence irrelevant by filling the void perfectly.

Amid this shift in performance, Powell highlighted the differences between the fast-paced attack of the Heat, compared to the offensive strategy he experienced with the Clippers. “You know, it’s a little different for me after the last three and a half years with the Clippers—running a play every single time down, getting guys to their spots, and attacking mismatches,” Powell explained.

“This one’s really just playing in the flow, playing off one another, playing out of closeouts. I think it plays to my game and my strengths. When the ball is swinging and the defense is moving, I’m able to catch and go, catch and shoot, and make reads on the second side of the floor,” he added.