The Utah Jazz wanted Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo in a swap for Donovan Mitchell this past offseason, according to a team insider.
Mitchell was eventually dealt by the Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason for a package of players and draft picks.
Recognize that everyone who complains about the Heat not getting Donovan Mitchell is saying they were OK with Bam Adebayo spending his prime somewhere else.
Because that’s who the Jazz wanted.
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) December 9, 2022
It makes sense that the Heat wouldn’t have wanted to part ways with Adebayo, who is one of the best big men in the league today. Adebayo is the anchor of Miami’s defense and has really come along as an offensive player in the last few seasons.
Since the Heat had less draft capital that they would have been able to trade, it makes sense that the Jazz were looking for an All-Star player in return for Mitchell.
Instead of making a deal with Miami for either Adebayo or Tyler Herro, the Jazz opted to load up on draft picks and bring in promising players such as Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji and Lauri Markkanen in exchange for Mitchell.
Even though some Heat fans would have loved Mitchell on the roster, it doesn’t seem like it was a realistic option if Adebayo would have been on the move. The key for Miami would have been pairing Mitchell with Adebayo and Jimmy Butler to chase a title.
This season, Adebayo is averaging 21.2 points (a career-high), 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field.
His impact on the defensive end for the Heat may be his most important quality, as he takes on the challenge of guarding some of the best bigs in the league on a nightly basis.
Bam Adebayo’s defense on notable players this season:
Pascal Siakam: 4-11 (36.4%)
Klay Thompson: 1-6 (16.7%)
Anfernee Simons: 1-5 (20%)
De’Aaron Fox: 0-4 (0%)
Dejounte Murray: 0-3(0%)
Jayson Tatum: 1-3 (33%)
Damian Lillard: 0-2 (0%) pic.twitter.com/aknFs54MW0— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) November 30, 2022
The Heat have struggled at times on offense this season, especially with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry missing time, but Adebayo hasn’t been the problem.
Without the star center, the Heat would be in a much worse spot as a franchise, and they may not have been able to replace him, even if they made a trade for Mitchell.
Now that Heat fans can see that there was no way to bring Mitchell to Miami without losing Adebayo, it may be easier for them to understand why the front office is content with the current roster.
