Getty Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat was named an All-Star for the second time this season.
The Miami Heat are fresh from beating the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament to earn the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and regardless of what happens next, the Heat could be in for an interesting summer.
Miami is set to take on the top-seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. The Bucks swept the Heat in the first round in 2021, and after making it all the way to the conference finals last year, Miami doesn’t want an early exit this season.
The Heat have made the playoffs five of the past six years, but they haven’t won an NBA championship since the 2012-2013 season, and insider Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks it’s possible the team, led by President Pat Riley, could make a huge move or two if Miami gets bounced from the postseason early yet again.
Winderman: Heat ‘Might not Be so Reluctant’ to Trade Bam Adebayo
Winderman noted that guard Tyler Herro’s $120 million extension kicking in this summer coupled with other factors could give Miami more financial freedom — and they might be willing to move a key player in center Bam Adebayo.
“There again is the ability to deal up to three first-round picks. Herro’s new contract is about to kick in, which means freedom from the poison-pill salary-cap shackles that were in place this season. Reluctance to trade Bam Adebayo … might not be so reluctant, even with his defensive bravado Friday,” Winderman wrote on April 15.
Adebayo scored eight points, while also hauling in a game-high 17 rebounds in Miami’s play-in win over the Bulls, and he’s netting 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds a game. It would be a shock if the Heat traded the two-time All-Star, although anything is possible.
Winderman also name-dropped a few superstars as potential trade targets for the Heat this summer.
Bradley Beal Trade Rumors Resurface Again
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been mentioned as a possible trade target for Miami this summer, and Winderman also mentioned a player previously liked to the Heat: Washington Wizards standout Bradley Beal.
“For his part, there again are breadcrumbs from Bradley Beal, who exited the Washington Wizards’ latest disappointment, noting, ‘I don’t think we’re good enough right now,'” Winderman noted.
Winderman reported earlier this season that the Heat were considering pursuing Beal if guard Kyle Lowry wasn’t traded — and he wasn’t. “I have been told that if the Heat do not move Kyle Lowry at Thursday’s NBA trading deadline that the Heat very much will return to the mindset of an offseason run at Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal, should either express a desire to move on,” Winderman wrote in February.
Beal’s Recent Frustrations Triggered Trade Rumors
A three-time All-Star, Beal averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds this season, but his age could be a concern. Hamstring and knee issues limited him this past season, and he hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since his 2018-19 campaign.
Beal, who turns 30 this summer, makes an average of $43 million per year after inking a five-year, $251 million extension with the Wizards, and while he hasn’t expressed a desire to move on, he has expressed frustration with where the Wizards finished in the standings this year.
“I’m definitely frustrated,” Beal said, via ESPN. “I’m also at peace with where I am and who we are and what we need to do to be better. There’s nothing I can do. I can’t control it, and I’m not going to sit here and cuss everybody out. We know where we failed and how we got to get better. We have to do so.”
While Beal has never asked to be traded — he has a no-trade clause, which only he can waive — Miami is an attractive destination for players due to its storied history and competitive roster. It’s a definite longshot, but Beal might be a player for Heat fans to watch this summer.