Former Washington State guard Justin Powell agrees to join Miami Heat for NBA Summer League

PULLMAN – After going unselected in the NBA draft, former Washington State guard Justin Powell is getting an opportunity with the Miami Heat.

Powell has agreed to join the Heat’s Summer League squad on an Exhibit 10 deal, the NBA franchise announced Friday. The 6-foot-6 combo guard will have a chance to prove himself when Miami opens Summer League play next month.

Powell started every game for WSU last season during his junior year, serving as the team’s primary point guard. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and a team-high 2.8 assists while committing less than one turnover per game. Powell shot 40.8% from the field and finished second in the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage, shooting 78 of 183 (42.6%) from beyond the arc.

A four-star recruit and a top-100 prospect nationally coming out of high school in Kentucky, Powell began his collegiate career at Auburn but only appeared in 10 games as a true freshman due to a season-ending injury. He transferred to Tennessee for his sophomore season and served as a role player with the Volunteers, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game.

After his bounce-back season in Pullman, Powell declared for the draft on March 28. It seemed likely that he would withdraw from the draft pool and return to WSU for his senior season. His name wasn’t showing up on draft boards, and WSU coach Kyle Smith said he expected the Cougars to have Powell back in 2023.

Powell worked out for several NBA organizations over the past two months and staged a solo pro day in front of scouts last month in Chicago. His size, versatility, 3-point shooting and passing skill were attributes that presumably appealed to NBA scouts. He “received positive feedback from NBA teams during the predraft process,” according to a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, so Powell decided to end his collegiate career and shoot for the pros.

Entering draft night, Powell was the No. 78-ranked overall prospect and the No. 14 point guard in the draft, per ESPN. At the end of the draft, Powell was the No. 21-ranked draft prospect still available.

He landed a deal with the Heat less than an hour after the draft’s conclusion and signed an Exhibit 10 contract – a one-year, minimum-salary deal that gives NBA teams the option to convert the contract to a two-way contract if that change is made before the season begins.

The Heat play their first Summer League game on July 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers in Sacramento.

Miami has built a reputation for developing undrafted players into NBA contributors. Seven undrafted players saw time for the Heat during this year’s playoffs.

Powell is the second Cougars player to ink an NBA deal during draft week, joining power forward Mouhamed Gueye. The All-Pac-12 post was selected in the second round of Thursday’s draft – 39th overall – by the Boston Celtics, who then traded Gueye to the Atlanta Hawks.