Bam Adebayo satisfied with Heat's offseason moves: ‘It's a very good shake up for our team'
'There are going to be a lot of changes this summer,' Adebayo said in late April just a few days after the Heat was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season. 'Just from my point of view, understanding how the guy with the silver hair [Heat president Pat Riley) works. So just be prepared for that.'
So far, the Heat has three new faces on its standard roster for next season — Simone Fontecchio, Kasparas Jakucionis and Norman Powell. Those from last season's season-ending standard roster who are no longer with the Heat are Kyle Anderson, Alec Burks, Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson.
Is that enough change for a Heat team that has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, has needed to qualify for the playoffs through the NBA's play-in tournament in each of the last three seasons, and finished this past regular season with a losing record for the first time since the 2018-19 season and just the sixth time in Riley's 30 seasons with the organization?
'It's a very good shake up for our team and now there's a different dynamic to it,' Adebayo said Saturday, making his first comments to South Florida media since the end of last season during a break at his sixth annual youth basketball clinic at SLAM! Miami charter school.
While Adebayo has not yet won an NBA championship, the three-time NBA All-Star knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run. Boston's Jaylen Brown (135 playoff appearances) and Jayson Tatum (121 playoff appearances), Denver's Jamal Murray (79 playoff appearances) and Adebayo (78 playoff appearances) are the only players in the league currently younger than 29 years old who have already appeared in at least 78 playoff games during their NBA careers.
Adebayo hopes the addition of Powell, who produced All-Star caliber numbers last season, can help the Heat get back to winning playoff series.
Powell averaged a career-high 21.8 points to go with 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.8% on 7.1 three-point attempts per game for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. Powell was among six NBA players who averaged at least 21 points per game while shooting better than 48% from the field and better than 40% from three-point range last regular season along with Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine and Kawhi Leonard.
'I feel like Norman is one of those guys that floats under the radar,' said Adebayo, who turned 28 on July 18 and has already played in three Eastern Conference finals and two NBA Finals. 'But as you saw this year, he's really shown that he can be an All-Star caliber player. You've seen what he's done and you've seen him grow in this league. And, obviously, he wants to take the next challenge. Obviously, the next challenge is being with the Miami Heat. So I'm happy to have him.'
The Heat also retained guard Davion Mitchell in free agency this offseason. Mitchell agreed to a new deal this summer worth $24 million over two seasons to return after thriving in Miami following his mid-season trade to the Heat as part of the Jimmy Butler deal in February.
Following the trade to Miami, Mitchell averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 44.7% on 3.1 three-point attempts per game in 30 regular-season appearances (15 starts) for the Heat. Mitchell's point-of-attack defense also immediately helped the Heat, as Miami allowed 3.4 fewer points per 100 possessions with Mitchell on the court compared to when he wasn't playing after the February trade.
'Davion being back, obviously, we've been missing somebody that can really play on-ball defense,' Adebayo said. 'And having him come in and be that guy and understand his role, I'm looking forward to him being here for a full year and all of us being together and getting to know one another and turning this into more of a brotherhood. We were kind of disconnected a little bit trying to figure out everybody's role and trying to figure out everybody's style of play. But now we're going to have a good training camp and then we go from there.'
While Adebayo is satisfied with the Heat's roster changes this offseason, he has mixed emotions about some of the moves made because of the teammates he lost.
'I'm going to miss them, obviously,' Adebayo said of losing Robinson and Love as Heat teammates. 'Just because Duncan has been here for eight years and having that connection was special. And then K-Love was a leader that could speak to somebody from a championship level, could obviously encourage the younger group, be an example, but also he was the bridge between some of the coaches and the players. So like I said, I'm going to miss both of them. I'm glad we had the time that we did. It was, obviously, helpful for my growth and my development as a player and as a captain.'
Adebayo's time in Miami continues after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Heat. Hosting his sixth annual youth basketball clinic in Miami is a reflection of his long Heat tenure.
'It just speaks to what I've done in the community and that people believe in Bam camp,' Adebayo said. 'They see it as an opportunity for kids to get better, kids to start understanding the game better. I take pride in that because these kids are our future. So it's my job to invest in them now and you never know what can happen.'
As the Heat's captain and highest paid player, Adebayo hopes his ninth season with the Heat is his best yet.
'I care. That's the one thing that people don't understand about me – I care,' said Adebayo, who is under contract with the Heat through the 2028-29 season. 'I value relationships, I value me being loyal to this community.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
10 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Bam Adebayo optimistic about Heat's upcoming season, 'there's a different dynamic to it'
The Miami Heat upgraded this summer, moving on from Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson but adding a borderline All-Star last season in Norman Powell. That's a positive for Miami, but how much does it move the needle for a 37-win team? Bam Adebayo is optimistic about this team. Here is what he said to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, speaking at his annual youth basketball clinic at SLAM! Miami charter school. 'It's a very good shake up for our team and now there's a different dynamic to it... 'I feel like Norman is one of those guys that floats under the radar. But as you saw this year, he's really shown that he can be an All-Star caliber player. You've seen what he's done and you've seen him grow in this league. And, obviously, he wants to take the next challenge. Obviously, the next challenge is being with the Miami Heat. So I'm happy to have him.' Miami has a chance to make some noise in what is projected to be a down Eastern Conference, but it needs to find some more consistent offense this season. Powell helps with that, but the Heat need more: Adebayo and Tyler Herro need to stay healthy and play 65+ games, Andrew Wiggins needs play at his All-Star form from Golden State, Kel'el Ware needs to take a step forward (likely with Erik Spoelstra prodding him), and Davion Mitchell needs to show that how he played in the 30 games after being traded to the Heat were not a fluke, when he averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 assists per game. The Heat bet on Mitchell, signing him to a two-year, $24 million contract. 'Davion being back, obviously, we've been missing somebody that can really play on-ball defense,' Adebayo said. 'And having him come in and be that guy and understand his role, I'm looking forward to him being here for a full year and all of us being together and getting to know one another and turning this into more of a brotherhood. We were kind of disconnected a little bit trying to figure out everybody's role and trying to figure out everybody's style of play. But now we're going to have a good training camp and then we go from there.' A return to the playoffs — and hopefully a better result than a 0-4 sweep exit in the first round (at the hands of the Cavaliers) — seems distinctly possible for the Heat, who should be improved over a season ago. That's enough to have Adebayo optimistic.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"They should have changed that format" - Jerry Stackhouse claims the Mavs lost the 2006 NBA Finals because of a bad playing format
"They should have changed that format" - Jerry Stackhouse claims the Mavs lost the 2006 NBA Finals because of a bad playing format originally appeared on Basketball Network. The Dallas Mavericks were on the cusp of winning their first Larry O'Brien trophy in 2006 when they took a 2-0 series lead over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. However, with the next three games scheduled in Miami, the Heat took advantage, won all three games to take a 3-2 series lead and put the Mavs on the ropes. With momentum on their side, they clinched the 2006 NBA title in Game 6. Looking back at that championship series, former Mavs guard Jerry Stackhouse said that more than anything else, the 2-3-2 playoff format was to blame for their defeat because it put them at a disadvantage, instead of having home court advantage. "We would've went back home up 3-2, and there was the margin of calls that went against us, but they kinda had the momentum when we came back home. You shouldn't feel that pressure after you had the type of regular season that we had, and after going up 2-0," said Stackhouse. The Finals format back then was 2-3-2 In 1985, the format of the NBA Finals was changed to 2-3-2 in order to minimize cross-country travel during the series. But while it served that purpose it was created for, it also put teams with the better record at a handicap instead of enjoying a home court edge because if the team with the inferior record won all three games at their home floor, they would head to Game 6 up 3-2. That season, the Mavs had the second-best record in the West at 60-22. The Heat were also No.2 in the East, but at 52-30, it was Dallas who had home court advantage in the 2006 NBA Finals, supposedly. However, the format favored the Heat, which Stackhouse said was why they lost. "But looking at it, man, we got away from the game plan. And I think ultimately, that cost us. Dwyane had an unbelievable series, but he shot probably a few more free throws than he should have. But I've never been one to cry over spilled milk. It is what it is. We had our opportunities. We didn't seize those opportunities, but they should have changed that format before that year." The Jet blamed the Mavs' hotel room assignment While Stackhouse blamed the format, Jason Terry blamed head coach Avery Johnson's hotel room pairings for the Mavs' downfall. That was because Johnson paired Nowitzki with veteran guard Darrell Armstrong, and the latter is known as a guy who doesn't get a lot of sleep. "My roommate was Erick Dampier, and Dirk's roommate was Darrell Armstrong," Terry said. " You can ask Dirk to this day -- that didn't work because Darrell doesn't sleep, and he couldn't get no rest. Those guys stayed up and watched TV all night. I don't know if that quite worked out. And mine was Damp, and Damp doesn't talk. So, here we were, trying to figure out how we were going to win Game 4, and we were in the room with guys who wouldn't rest or wouldn't hang out." Whether it was the referees, format, or room pairings, the Mavericks had plenty of excuses for blowing a 2-0 series lead in the 2006 NBA Finals. But as Stack himself admitted, they deviated from the game plan and allowed D-Wade to catch fire and take over the series by averaging 39.25 points per game from Games 3 to 6. Sure, there may have been more than a handful of bad calls, but it all came down to Dallas' inability to contain Wade in the last four games of the series, especially since Games 3,5, and 6 were decided by a combined six points story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
WNBA-to-Boston celebrations premature? League pushes back on CT Sun move after Pagliuca deal
Fans celebrating the arrival of the WNBA to the City of Boston might want to temper their expectations in the short term. Recent reporting from the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn relates that the WNBA itself is throwing cold water on ta potential move of the recently-purchased Connecticut Sun to a new location. Former Boston Celtics minority owner and Bain Capital executive Steve Pagliuca recently purchased the team for a record $325 million, with another $100 million earmarked to build a dedicated practice facility for the team in Boston. But per Washburn, after news of the sale broke this week, the league sent the reporter a release pushing back on a potential move out of the Nutmeg state. "Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams," related the WNBA to Washburn, also noting that "no groups from Boston applied for a team." This could put a bit of a damper on things, given Pagliuca would be one of the first names for an expansion team in the area, yet the former Celtics owner now finds himself the new owner (pending league approval) of a team the WNBA appears determined to keep in Connecticut. "Nine additional cities also applied for WNBA teams and remain under active consideration. Those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston," added the league. This course of action may have actually put the city behind the proverbial eight ball, as the WNBA may be looking to avoid following in the footsteps of the NBA with the highly unpopular move of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in the aughts. Interestingly, the release tendered to Washburn also notes that a "prospective Celtics owner has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time." Does this mean the ownership group helmed by Bill Chisholm currently in the process of securing final NBA approval to buy the Boston-based NBA ball club is also the leading group to secure a WNBA team in the same city? At present, details on all of the above are murky, but will likely continue to develop in the coming weeks. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
