For years, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo’s spot in South Florida has seemed pretty secure. After all, the team apparently made him off limits in trade talks regarding Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets last offseason.
However, the Heat trading Adebayo reportedly cannot be ruled out now.
“The notion of trading Adebayo cannot be entirely ruled out,” wrote Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
During the 2022-23 regular season, the University of Kentucky product put up 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game en route to earning the second All-Star Game appearance of his career.
However, his numbers after the All-Star break were pretty subpar.
It’s important to note that Adebayo shouldered a pretty big load for the Heat before the All-Star break, as Jimmy Butler was in and out of the lineup constantly with different ailments.
Nevertheless, the steep decline the 25-year-old showed in the latter part of the regular season was very concerning. That trend has mostly continued throughout the playoffs, as Adebayo is recording 16.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 47.6 percent shooting from the field through seven playoff contests.
Prior to Adebayo’s second All-Star appearance, Heat president Pat Riley offered some interesting comments.
“A franchise always is built around players who have stayed here forever,” Riley told the Miami Herald, apparently suggesting he viewed Adebayo in that way.
Despite some of his offensive inconsistencies this postseason, Adebayo has come up big on multiple occasions. His best game so far during the 2023 NBA Playoffs arguably came in Game 5 of his team’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In that contest, the former first-round pick recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while playing stellar defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout the fourth quarter and overtime.
Adebayo has put up decent performances through the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, but fans are hoping to see more out of him on offense.
The biggest knock on his game seems to be a tendency to get a little too passive sometimes on the offensive side of the ball. There aren’t many players at his size that can handle the ball like he can or move as quick as he is able to.
He has also got a solid midrange game and knocks down free throws at a pretty high rate.
While some Heat fans thought this season would be the one in which Adebayo would expand his game beyond the 3-point line, that hasn’t happened just yet.
Regardless, he’s still a very impactful player for the team. His importance to the squad’s success cannot be denied. Adebayo’s versatility on offense and defense also isn’t something that’s seen all the time.
For now, anything about Adebayo being in a trade is just speculation. He and the organization are undoubtedly focused on getting past the Knicks, with Game 3 of their series set to take place on Saturday afternoon.