The Chicago Bulls have handed Norman Powell a lucrative contract to take his services to the Windy City, and add some much-needed experience to their young core.
The 33-year-old guard has agreed a two-year, $45 million deal with Chicago, leaving the Miami Heat just one season after landing there in a trade. Word broke on Wednesday, the second day of the free agency window.
Powell arrives in Chicago coming off the best basketball of his career — an All-Star season in Miami that unfortunately finished with a play-in exit. He joins one of the youngest rosters in the league, a Bulls team being rebuilt almost from scratch.
Norman Powell brings scoring to a rebuilt Chicago Bulls backcourt
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on X, reporting that Powell had agreed a two-year deal worth $45 million, with a team option on the second season.
The signing wraps a busy stretch for a Bulls front office rebuilding under new basketball operations chief Bryson Graham.
Chicago has hired head coach Tiago Splitter, traded for center Nic Claxton for next to nothing, drafted forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4, and extended Zach Collins on Tuesday night.
Powell fills an obvious gap. Chicago moved Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu out over the past year and lost scoring from the backcourt. Powell, who averaged 21.7 points per game in Miami last season, gives them exactly that.
He should start right away. The projected starting five would be Josh Giddey, Powell, Matas Buzelis, Wilson and Claxton — four of them 27 or younger, with the veteran Powell the primary scorer among them.
He shot 38% from three last season and has ranked among the league’s most efficient scorers per touch for years. Injuries have kept him under 60 games in most recent seasons, but the ability is not in question.
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