Potential spoils be distributed (8)
I believe the answer is:
possible
'potential' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'spoils be distributed' is the wordplay.
'distributed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'spoils'+'be'='spoilsbe'
'spoilsbe' is an anagram of 'POSSIBLE'.
(Other definitions for possible that I've seen before include "Capable of happening" , "Capable of being achieved" , "Conceivable, imaginable" , "Feasible achievable" , "Conceivable, practicable" .)