NBA’s new rules mean Butler is out of All-NBA consideration, could affect Adebayo’s supermax chances
Jimmy Butler this week becomes ineligible to be named to an All-NBA team under new league minimum-game requirements.
And while Bam Adebayo remains eligible for such honors, his odds of making an All-NBA team — and in the process, qualifying for the richest contract in Heat history — also have taken a hit under new league rules.
What to know about all of this:
▪ Players who win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or make one of the league’s three All NBA teams are eligible for max contract extensions.
Adebayo, who currently is under contract through the 2025-26 season, would become eligible to sign a four-year, $245 million extension this upcoming offseason if he meets any of those three supermax criteria.
But if Adebayo doesn’t qualify for the supermax, he will instead be eligible for a three-year contract worth $152 million. His odds of qualifying for a supermax deal have diminished. (More on that shortly.)
▪ Under new rules, players must be on the floor for at least 20 minutes in 65 games to be eligible for any NBA awards.
Butler is missing three games this week due to a death in the family, assuring that he can play no more than 64 games this season. He was second-team All NBA last season and third-time All NBA four times, including his first two seasons with the Heat. But he won’t be eligible this season.
“I don’t care about All-NBA, etc.,” Butler said recently.
▪ Under NBA rules in place before this season, the 125 media members with votes for All NBA teams were required to pick two guards, two forwards and a center.
Last season, Adebayo finished fifth in voting at center, behind the center on the first team (Joel Embiid), the second team (Nikola Jovic) and the third team (Domantas Sabonis), as well as perennial Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis.
All-NBA team voting is now positionless. The top 15 vote-getters make All NBA teams, regardless of position.
With Embiid’s knee surgery assuring that he will fall short of the 65-game limit, Adebayo would have been competing with Sabonis and Davis (who’s often injured but has been largely healthy) for second or third team center honors behind Jovic, with Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis also having a case unless he misses three more games, which would disqualify him.
But now, under the new rules, Adebayo is essentially competing with every NBA standout for one of those coveted 15 spots. And even though he’s averaging a career high in rebounds and is close to a career high in points per game, the odds seem very much against him landing a top 15 spot.
For perspective on Adebayo’s long odds of qualifying for a super max extension barring a slew of major injuries to top players, consider this: Last year, he received no first or second place All NBA votes but nine third place votes. That gave him nine points in total voting, fifth among centers and well behind the fourth place center, the Lakers’ Davis (65 points).
Last season, 26 players finished with more votes than Adebayo — including 22 guards and centers, who are now eligible to supplant any centers from All-Star teams.
A few of the players among those 26 won’t be eligible this season because of injuries — Butler, Embiid, Ja Morant and likely Julius Randle.
All-NBA teams were positionless for the first nine seasons of the BAA/NBA from 1947 through 1955. In 1956, they added positions. Moving back to positionless is the first major change to All-NBA teams since they added the All-NBA Third Team in 1989.
▪ Adebayo also could qualify for the supermax by winning Defensive Player of the Year, but Draft Kings and Fanduel last week ranked him sixth in odds to win the award – behind Rudy Gobert, OG Anunoby (likely to be ineligible for the award because of an elbow injury), Chet Holmgren, Jarett Allen and Anthony Davis.
Keep in mind that Adebayo finished fifth for that award last season – well behind winner Jaren Jackson Jr. (who has missed only four games), Brook Lopez (who has missed three games) and two players who are ineligible for the award this year because they’ve missed too many games to qualify: Evan Mobley and Draymond Green.
Adebayo received one first place vote, two second place votes and seven third place votes in Defensive Player of the Year balloting last year.
But Minnesota’s Gobert - a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner - has surpassed Adebayo and others (according to oddsmakers) as the clear favorite for the award by anchoring one of the NBA’s best defensive teams, and one that is challenging for the best record in the Western Conference.
Adebayo bypassed the opportunity to sign a two-year, $97 million extension this past offseason, with the hope of qualifying for a super-max deal.
Adebayo has missed 10 games and played only 12 minutes in another game. That leaves Adebayo with a maximum of six more games he can miss this regular season to remain eligible for NBA postseason awards and to keep alive his slim hopes of qualifying for a super-max extension.
Under his current contract, he’s due to make $34.8 million and $37.1 million over the next two seasons.
NOTABLE
The Heat has scheduled its annual Family Festival — featuring food, an opportunity shoot on the Heat’s practice court and interaction with players and coaches — on March 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Kaseya Center.
The event supports the Miami Heat Charitable Fund beneficiaries, which include Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida & Miami Cancer Institute, Jackson Health Foundation, SafeSpace Foundation and Up2Us Sports.
Tickets are $250 per person. For more information, go to HEAT.com/FamilyFestival.
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 2:03 PM.
