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Is Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo A Trade Candidate?
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- Is Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo A Trade Candidate?
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The Miami Heat 's beginning to the 2026-27 season has been criticized after the team has only won only two of their first seven games. There are a lot of issues with the team at the moment but the biggest may be the early lack of chemistry between shiny new offseason acquisition Giannis Antetokounmpo and franchise center Bam Adebayo . Antetokounmpo has been playing like his MVP self, averaging 28.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. However, Adebayo has been rather inconsistent and is receiving most of the criticism by the fanbase and media for his up-and-down performances throughout the first stretch of the season.
The Ringer's Howard Beck recently published an article , predicting what the NBA's next trade to send shock waves throughout the league could be. He mentioned Nikola Jokic and Devin Booker are possible candidates but also included Adebayo.
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"In Miami, they're now emanating from Adebayo, who struggled to mesh with Giannis in their first four games together (all losses) and then accused the media of making him a 'scapegoat' for that poor start because he had the audacity to point out those struggles." Beck wrote. "But was Bam's anger really about the commentary—or about his own diminished role and awkward fit alongside a new franchise star?"
Adebayo has been receiving a lot of blame for the Heat's woes over the first stretch of the season. He received most flack following the Heat's first two games, where his struggles were most apparent. In the team's 25-point season-opening loss to Minnesota, he recorded 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals on 50% shooting. However, his struggles worsened against Detroit on Oct. 23, fouling out in just 23 minutes with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. Since the first two games, he has slightly improved but the fit between him and Antetokounmpo still looks questionable at best.
If the Heat are going to react this quickly to the team's lackluster start by trading a high-end player, it certainly would not be Antetokounmpo. It seems unlikely the team even considers trading him anytime soon considering they gave up Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis for him this summer. He is most likely the most untouchable player on the roster at the moment. However, Adebayo may be a different story. He has been one of the most consistent pieces of the Heat's success over the past eight seasons but it could be time for a change of scenery if he struggles to connect with Antetokounmpo on the court.
What teams make the most sense for Adebayo if he is indeed dealt this season? There are two big ones: the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
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The Celtics have not had a true star presence at center since winning the 2024 NBA Finals with Kristaps Porzingis. In the seasons since, they have had Neemias Queta, Al Horford and even traded for Nikola Vucevic, who became a non-factor for the team down the stretch of last season and didn't play much in their playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. They signed Mitchell Robinson this offseason but if they have the opportunity to pair Jayson Tatum with Adebayo, Boston may not be able to pass it up. There is also a distant scenario where the Heat could flip Adebayo to the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns as the latter is currently quietly undergoing a contract dispute with the defending champions.
