There are certain NBA franchises that have a built-in advantage when it comes to attracting star players. The Knicks can tout the biggest media market and the most famous city in the world. The Lakers have that Hollywood glamour and a history of excellence. All the Texas and Florida teams have great weather and no state income tax.
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Of those teams, the Heat have typically been the most sought-after destination, and it’s easy to see why. LeBron James once took his talents to South Beach not only because he believed he could build a dynasty with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but because Miami is one of the coolest cities in the world.
Count the Heat out of landing a superstar at your own peril, because they often find a way to land the plane. With Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee up in the air and his list of wants allegedly including sunshine and a competitive team, there aren’t many better options out there.
The Heat would have to put together a massive trade package to even get the Bucks to pick up the phone, but according to Zach Lowe, Bam Adebayo is not someone they’d consider moving under any circumstances.
Lowe was speculating on whether the Heat might ever look to trade Bam in part to clear the runway for the up-and-coming Kel’el Ware, but all of his sources have shot that idea down.
“Other teams I know have for sure asked about Bam and been told, ‘Hell no,'” Lowe said. “And the wild card that you also have to consider is as they sniff around at Giannis and other star players, all of those star players are gonna want to play with Bam.”
Lowe had previously called Bam “the standard-bearer” and “the culture-bearer” in Miami, which makes it easy to see why they wouldn’t want to trade him away. Last year the Heat dealt with the Jimmy Butler saga in which he sabotaged his way out of town, but Bam, besides being an All-NBA-caliber talent, has always been a good teammate and a model citizen.
Even though it sounds like Bam is off the table, Lowe still thinks the Heat will be real players in any potential Giannis discussions.
That would almost surely mean that Tyler Herro would have to be involved, both from the perspective of the Bucks needing a real player back and in terms of matching salaries. Throw in Andrew Wiggins and a flotilla worth of first-rounders, and maybe the Bucks would be willing to listen.
Ultimately, this will all come down to Giannis and what he wants. If he makes it clear that he wants to be traded and he only wants to go to Miami, NBA history has shown that he’ll likely get his way, and the Bucks will just have to swallow whatever the Heat give them. If he includes more teams on his list, then maybe the Heat will have to change their stance on Bam if they want to make a competitive offer.
