Another big deal for Adebayo? Bam sees the case for waiting. And the non-Bam minutes issue
In the coming days, Heat center Bam Adebayo has the option to add to his generational wealth.
But he acknowledged this week that there’s a reasonable case to be made for bypassing big money now for even bigger money later.
Adebayo is eligible, through Monday, to sign a two-year, $97 million extension that would start in 2026-27.
But there’s a compelling case for Adebayo to hold off on that.
If Adebayo meets the supermax criteria, he would become eligible to sign a four-year, $245 million extension in the 2024 offseason.
For a veteran player to qualify for such an extension, he must be entering his eighth or ninth season in the NBA (Adebayo will be entering his eighth in 2024-25), and have either:
1). Been named to the All-NBA team (first, second or third) in either the season immediately before signing the extension, or two of the three previous seasons;
2). Been named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in either the season immediately before signing the extension, or two of the three previous seasons;
3). Been named NBA MVP at least once in the previous three seasons.
Adebayo has never been named to an All-NBA team or named Defensive Player of the Year.
Asked Wednesday if he has made the decision to bypass signing an extension now and if he has discussed that with the Heat, he said: “We’re going to discuss it. Right now, we’ve been working on the preseason. Everybody getting in, getting a flow, getting a feel for the team and it’s been mainly about basketball. I haven’t even thought about that actually.”
But asked if it seems to make sense to wait on an extension, he said: “I mean, yeah. The money difference does play a part. But we’ll have that conversation at some point.”
Adebayo, who is represented by agent Alex Saratsis, is scheduled to make $32.6 million this season, $34.8 million in 2024-25 and $37.1 million in 2025-26. In November 2020, he agreed to a five-year, $163 million extension.
He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 75 games last season and finished fifth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
THIS AND THAT
The Heat must be able to more effectively withstand minutes with Adebayo on the bench, and Thomas Bryant might be able to do that.
Bryant is a “very efficient offensive player for sure,” coach Erik Spoelstra said this week. “He’s already been showing that throughout camp, his ability to score, in the paint. His ability to bring a physicality on both ends of the court. I’ve been very encouraged by his communication level defensively. He’s coming in intentionally trying to be impactful on that end of the floor as well.”
During the 2022-23 regular season, the Heat outscored teams by 117 points with Adebayo in the game and was outscored by 143 points when he was on the bench.
Last season in the playoffs, the Heat outscored teams by 42 when Adebayo was in the game and was outscored by seven points when he was out of the game.
Incidentally, Bryant never asked for a trade from the Lakers last season, contrary to what was reported on TNT last week. He finished the season with the Denver Nuggets. A scout praised him for his high motor, which appealed to the Heat when Miami signed him at the start of free agency.
“We feel we’re a little bigger up front, a little more depth, which is going to be really beneficial for us,” Spoelstra said.
▪ Rookie forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., out for now with a groin injury, said he worked on his three-point shot all summer, taking a lot of shots. How good was his percentage?
“I thought it went really well,” he said.
Jaquez shot 32.8 percent on threes in his college career at UCLA and 31.7 percent last season.
Jaquez looks like he can score in the basket area because of his nifty footwork, a skill he developed in part from studying Jimmy Butler, Kobe Bryant and others.
So what’s the balance that he’s trying to strike between threes and shots closer to the basket?
“Spo wants me to play my game,” he said. “He put me in a lot of actions that felt really similar to how I was being used at UCLA. Going forward, we will have to figure that out.
“I’m very open to doing whatever he needs me to do. If it’s staying in the corner and shooting threes, I’ll do that. If it’s giving the ball and making a play, I’ll do that as well.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 9:41 AM.
