The Miami Heat intend to sign forward/center Bam Adebayo to a maximum contract extension, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The deal will be for five years and $163 million, “with a trigger for $196 million,” Charania reported.
The Heat confirmed the extension offer for Adebayo to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Adebayo would become the fourth player to agree to such an extension this offseason, joining Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.
Along with the Adebayo extension, the defending Eastern Conference champions have re-upped with guard Goran Dragic, and signed free agent guard Avery Bradley and free agent forward Maurice Harkless.
“Curiously, in adding free agents Maurice Harkless and Avery Bradley, the Heat also gave themselves the ability to operate above the salary cap next summer more easily, by retaining their $3.8 million biannual salary-cap exception for the 2021 offseason,” Winderman wrote.
Adebayo, 23, is 6-foot-9 and averaged a career-high 15.9 points, career-high 10.2 rebounds and career-high 5.1 assists in 72 games last season. He increased his scoring average (17.8 ppg) and rebounding average (10.3) in 19 playoff games.
Winderman was the first to report that the Heat were “moving forward” with the Adebayo extension.
