The Miami Heat "intend to sign" All-Star center Bam Adebayo to a three-year, $166 million contract extension, per The Athletic. Adebayo's current contract has two years and around $72 million left on it, and this new deal will take him through the 2028-29 season. It ensures the Heat have their franchise centerpiece for at least five more seasons, and it avoids having to deal with him reaching unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026.
Since being drafted by the Heat with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Adebayo has risen to become one of the best defenders in the league, while also growing as an offensive player. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season, and earned his fifth-straight All Defensive honors. In each of the past five seasons, Adebayo has finished in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting, a testament to how much of an impact he makes on that end of the floor.
While this season didn't go as expected for the Heat after making the NBA Finals a year ago, Adebayo remained a consistent presence for Miami on both ends of the floor. This extension signifies that the Heat intend to keep building around him for years to come. How they do that will be interesting to watch.
Over the past couple weeks, Heat star Jimmy Butler has been brought up in trade conversations, and while Miami hasn't signaled that they intend to trade the aging star, it's something to watch as the Heat try to retool for next season. Miami got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, ending a season that was filled with key injuries to guys like Butler and Tyler Herro. Health will go a long way in the Heat trying to improve for next season, especially in a conference that isn't as daunting as the West. But after the Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade to land Mikal Bridges, further solidifying themselves in the championship-contender conversation, and the Celtics looming as the reigning champs, the Heat can't just expect to do nothing this summer and hope for the best.
Giving Adebayo an extension was a necessary and not at all surprising box to check, but it's just the first step of the offseason for Miami's front office.
