NOVEMBER 28, 3:18pm: Adebayo has officially signed the contract, according to a team press release.
NOVEMBER 24, 2:39pm: The Heat and Adebayo have agreed to terms on the extension, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link). It’s straight five-year deal, with no player or team option, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) confirms that Adebayo’s new maximum-salary extension will have Rose Rule language and could start at up to 30% of the 2021/22 cap rather than 25%, as detailed below.
NOVEMBER 24, 12:29pm: The Heat are moving forward with a contract extension for fourth-year big man Bam Adebayo, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press confirms (via Twitter) that the club is in the process of extending Adebayo’s deal.
Adebayo was one of two dozen players eligible for a rookie scale extension entering the offseason. Coming off a breakout year, he looked like one of the most deserving candidates for a new deal, along with Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and De’Aaron Fox, all of whom have agreed to maximum-salary extensions in recent days.
However, the Heat’s salary cap situation complicated the team’s decision. Miami has been focused on preserving as much cap room as possible for the 2021 offseason, and a new deal for Adebayo will increase his cap charge from a hold worth about $15MM to a new salary worth at least $28MM (f he gets the max), eliminating the possibility of a max-salary slot for a free agent.
The fact that the Heat are now moving forward on an extension for Adebayo could mean a number of things. Maybe Adebayo wasn’t waiting a year for his new contract; maybe the Heat remain confident that if a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is available and wants to play in Miami next year, they’ll be able to figure it out even without the necessary cap room, like they did for Jimmy Butler in 2019; or maybe the Heat believe Antetokounmpo is becoming more likely to sign a super-max extension with the Bucks and remain in Milwaukee.
According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), someone who knows Giannis well told him that the reigning MVP would be impressed by the Heat extending Adebayo early rather than making him wait until next year. Still, if Antetokounmpo is moving closer to accepting a deal with the Bucks, Adebayo’s agent Alex Saratsis would certainly know about it — he also represents Giannis.
Whatever the thinking, it’s good news for Adebayo, who was a full-time starter for the Heat in the first time in 2019/20 and responded with an All-Star performance, averaging 15.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 5.1 APG in 72 games (33.6 MPG).
He also helped anchor Miami’s defense, blocking 1.3 shots per game and averaging 1.1 steals as well. His play was crucial in helping the Heat reach the NBA Finals, though his ability to contribute in that series against the Lakers was compromised by a neck injury.
The Heat are expected to give Adebayo a five-year maximum-salary contract that will match the ones signed by those other young stars from his draft class, as Winderman reports. That would put the 23-year-old on track to earn at least $163MM and as much as $195.6MM over the life of the deal, based on current cap projections. The new contract will begin in 2021/22, once his rookie deal expires.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
This is the right move. If Giannis wants to come to Miami, they will find a way… But my feeling is that Giannis will sign that max extension with Milwaukee. I also think Dallas would he more likely than Miami if he were to leave Milwaukee. Painful to say as a Heat fan but we can’t get everyone…
Bradley Beal trade next summer
I also think Mavs are the more likely landing spot if Giannis decides to leave.
as a Heat fan, I have said for a long time that I think Dallas makes the most sense for him
Giannis will sign with the lakers!
Heat can still find a way to sign free agent Giannis if Bucks don’t want to trade him
Butler 36m
Bam 28m
Cap hold 16m
Giannis 32m
Less than 1% is still a chance I guess…
More like one in a million.
“So you’re saying there’s a chance…”
Now Miami just needs to sign Pebbles to pair up with BAMM-BAMM !!
IMO
Giannis chance to become free agent 2%
Think it’s the right move…but also think Bam is a little overrated. I also don’t understand why Gino is going there. Does he have connections to the city or the organization? If you are paying Bam like he’s your guy why not build around him?
Heat are building around Bam.
By signing giano?
Bucks can easily figure out if Giannis stays.
The worst of the worst deal
Giannis for Kelly Oubre, James Wiseman and 2022 Wolves unprotected first round pick (if protected in 2021)
At trade deadline.
Giannis to Houston, Harden to clippers, Kawhi to raptors, siakam and 5 unprotected 1st round picks to warriors, Wiseman and curry to bucks…did I miss anything? 3 days before trade deadline. And paul george.
Giannis to Knicks for 25 future picks and cash considerations. Knicks will waive players to match salary.
Giannis to Charlotte for hayward and ball and 10 future 1st rounders…1 day after trade deadline but the league allows it
Giannis is staying in Milwaukee
Bam for Giannis sign and trade is how/if the Heat are getting Giannis now.
As a Bucks fan, Bam’s extension is only good news. And he earned it.
Bucks are not getting Bam. But Heat are getting Giannis :)
Seems weird paying him now. You had an excuse to make him show last year wasn’t just a career year by saying you wanted to keep space for Giannis
First you keep your guys happy, that is the first rule & the second & the third!
No point in chasing after Giannis if it costs you loosing Bam, right?
Now Bam is secured & happy, which was MIA’s top priority in this FA market in my opinion, now they can start to think who else they get & how!
Paying your guy at the cost of future cap flexibility is always a no brainer, look at NYK having sooo much $$$ & no one wants to go, they have to throw them away!
Good for Bam. He earned it. One of best 2way players in game. Heat could still use a rim protector. Dedmond is out there.
Giannis has consistently said he is happy in Milwaukee. Yet, the media is constantly trying to send him to New York, L.A. or Miami. Giannis is not seeking a bigger market. He wants to win in Milwaukee, marry his girlfriend and raise a family. Period. He ain’t from here and only has relationships with his teammates. He ain’t hanging out with Bam and A.D. and looking cool in the club.
No they don’t go clubbing together but they are friends and share the
Same agent…
Giannis may have tell Bam he isn’t planning to leave
This is gonna sound both a bit tin foil hat.. but also probably very true. I just read multiple reports that Giannis is “very impressed” that the Heat extended Bam now not later. The Heat had planned to always do it later… until today. Why did it happen now? Bam and Giannis share the same agent. I believe (like LeBron with the Lakers) Giannis is already planning his escape to Miami and using his agent as a tampering go between to pull the strings he wants done. I think Giannis to Miami is already baked in… and I think Giannis is ready to take less than the max to do it.
Bam was re-signed because his agent demanded it. It is not reasonable to ask Adebayo to risk $100 million plus just so Miami can have cap space to sign a potential free agent.
The lack of the fifth year is worrying if you’re Miami – Adebayo had every reason to sign up for a full five. It could be that they couldn’t agree on a player option for year five, but it could also be Adebayo was unwilling to commit a full five years.
Once again, Pat Riley overplays his hand.
Sorry, I think my phrasing it as having “no fifth-year player or team option” created confusion. The fifth year is just a normal/guaranteed one — no option for either side.
Bam was probably more likely to leave than Giannis… all the dreaming of adding Giannis b y Riley was not likely to bear well with Bam.
I think there will still be a hangover this coming year for the Heat as the players take measure and Riley keeps taking for granted.
1) its a straight 5 year deal 2) Pat Riley has given this franchise 3 titles 3) over played what hand?
I thought he signed for four. I take it all back!
Bam has secured his bag
with everything they did, its kind of confusing, although ultimately understandable. it just brings to question why they didnt give Crowder and/or Derrick Jones more than 1 year, if they already determined they were going to trade contracts in a potential max signing. Also brings back the questions I had about trading Justise Winslow and James Johnson, which arguably hurt them in the playoffs, and also arguably hurts them now, not having 1 of them. They did it to open space they didnt really use to preserve space, and then used the space…even though it is to sign Bam, who absolutely deserves it
I just think if they were going to sign Bam now, they probably could have done different things in free agency, although there are still a couple of players out there that I feel would fit them
Still, especially after they paid Hassan Whiteside, Bam deserves this 1000%. He is the heartbeat of this team, and the carrier of Heat culture into the future. He is the Alonzo Mourning, the Dwyane Wade, the Udonis Haslem. I cant wait to see what else he can do
Someone would have offered him Max, if he improved on this year. Heat gambling, if he regresses, they’re screwed.