Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler is no stranger to changing teams, bouncing from the Chicago Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves and then to the Philadelphia 76ers before eventually landing in Miami, all in a span of two years from 2017 to 2019. 

So it's no surprise that Butler is not batting an eye at other stars looking to find their own NBA bliss.  

"I feel the same way I always feel: I'm betting on the Heat," Butler told Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated. "All the movement everybody's doing? Don't scare me none. We truly don't care. What makes me smile, is every time we take the floor, the best player is on the Miami Heat."

The Los Angeles Lakers (Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder) and Los Angeles Clippers (Serge Ibaka) made notable additions this offseason, while the Heat largely focused on retention. They re-signed Goran Dragic and Meyers Leonard while adding Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless, the latter a replacement for a departed Jae Crowder.

The Boston Celtics, the Heat's biggest Eastern Conference Finals challenger, will enter 2020-21 having lost Gordon Hayward in free agency. Hayward joins Al Horford and Kyrie Irving among the players to leave Boston over the last two offseasons.

Miami's biggest obstacles will likely come in the form of the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. The Bucks pushed their chips to the middle of the table ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo's free agency, sending three first-round picks (and two pick swaps) to the New Orleans Pelicans for Jrue Holiday. The Nets will welcome Irving and Kevin Durant back from injury after what amounted to a gap year in 2019-20. 

If the Houston Rockets decide to trade perennial All-Star guard James Harden, they reportedly may have a suitor in the Miami Heat.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, there is mutual interest between Harden and the Heat, and Miami does not consider second-year guard Tyler Herro to be untouchable in a potential trade for Harden.

Jackson noted that Harden has named the Heat, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers as teams he would accept a trade to.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last month that Harden turned down a contract extension offer from the Rockets that would have raised his pay to $50 million per year. Harden was also reportedly focused on a trade to Brooklyn to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Harden's reported interest in the Sixers makes sense as well since longtime Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is now in charge of basketball operations in Philadelphia.

The Nets may not have the assets needed to acquire Harden, nor do the 76ers unless they are willing to part with guard Ben Simmons or center Joel Embiid in the deal.

While Harden wants a trade and reported late to training camp, the Rockets don't necessarily have to be in a hurry to trade him since he is under contract for two more seasons.

A trade with the Heat could appeal more to the Rockets than the Nets or Sixers, especially if Miami is willing to part with Herro.

The Heat took Herro 13th overall in last year's draft out of Kentucky, and he enjoyed a strong rookie year with 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 three-pointers made per game. He also shot 42.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Herro raised his level of play during the postseason as well, averaging 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 three-pointers made per game, as the Heat made it all the way to the NBA Finals.

Trading a budding star like Herro may not be ideal, but if the Heat can put together a package headlined by Herro while holding on to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, they could have a new Big Three with a trio of All-Stars.

Harden is arguably the best offensive player in the league, as he has averaged over 30 points per game and won the scoring title in each of the past three seasons.

He is also an eight-time All-Star and one-time NBA MVP who would conceivably lift the Heat to another level.

If the Rockets keep Harden for now, they will enter the 2020-21 season with an intriguing mix of players headlined by Harden, the newly acquired John Wall, free-agent signings Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins, and holdovers such as P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon, Ben McLemore and Danuel House Jr.

The Rockets have the talent needed to be a contender in the Western Conference, but Harden's uncertain future could be an issue and a distraction until they trade him.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler rarely needs any extra motivation. It turns out he may have found some, anyway.

While talking with ESPN's Rachel Nichols on The Jump Friday, Butler addressed Miami's chances at returning to The Finals and noted a number of players who missed significant time last season likely stand in the way. 

“You’ve got some really good players that are much better than I am coming back – KD, Kyrie, Steph, KAT … I’d pick those guys over me too.” —Jimmy Butler

(via @Rachel__Nichols) pic.twitter.com/B5G4Wx78uV

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 11, 2020

"I don't have to look at any media outlet to know that we got some really good players that are much better than I am coming back," Butler said. "[Kevin Durant], Kyrie [Irving], Steph [Curry], [Karl-Anthony Towns], a lot of guys that was out are coming back so I'd pick those guys over me, too."

Butler isn't exactly wrong in his thinking—at least not according to oddsmakers. 

FanDuel Sportsbook has Miami at +2000 to win an NBA title this year (bet $100 to win $2000), good for the seventh-best odds posted. As far as winning the Eastern Conference, the Heat have the fourth-best odds (+700) at repeating behind only the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. 

It's the Nets, in particular, who may be Miami's biggest roadblock. 

With Irving and Durant fully healthy, Brooklyn should be one of the strongest challengers in the league, let alone the Eastern Conference. 

Yet it's impossible to count out a Miami team that only seems to be improving. Big man Bam Adebayo made the leap to league stardom last year and the emergence of Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro as secondary scoring options helped balance out the lineup.

Butler may believe there are better teams in the league, but he has no problem heading into the season with the team he's on—even after a drastically short offseason.

"Tired or not tired, we've still got a job to do," Butler said.

    

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo didn't wait for his massive extension to kick in before surprising his mother with a new home.

The Heat announced in November they signed Adebayo to a new deal, which will pay him $163 million over five years starting in 2021-22. With his new payday on the horizon, the 2020 All-Star bought his mom an early Christmas present.

Bam Adebayo surprised his mom with a new house ❤️

(via @Bam1of1) pic.twitter.com/oRU1EgsXKI

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 7, 2020

56 Years Of Waiting... 💙 https://t.co/tRkPZRM1RN

— 13am Adebayo (@Bam1of1) December 7, 2020

Adebayo told reporters Monday the gesture had been a long time coming, per ESPN's Nick Friedell:

"My mom never had nothing that she could call her own. So growing up and being able to do something different with basketball and be a special player, that was something that I've always had in my mind, I've always wanted to do. And just having the opportunity to do it for my mom is an incredible experience."

At one point in life, Adebayo and his mother lived in a single-wide trailer in North Carolina.

"She made it happen. She made it work," he said to Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton in 2017. "... Growing up in a trailer, you think everything you get is good. I always thought it was a gift from God, because some people are out here struggling and on the street. We had warmth. We had clothes. We had a roof over our head."

ESPN's Zach Lowe wrote in September how the trailer has become a source of motivation for Adebayo. He made a picture of it his phone background while playing Kentucky and has placed a photograph of it in his locker at times while playing for the Heat.

Bringing everything full circle, another picture of the trailer is now hanging near the front door of his mother's new house.

Miami Heat forward/center Bam Adebayo has placed some lofty expectations on his career—raising the bar higher than the five-year max extension he signed in the offseason would suggest.

"I feel like I'm trying to change basketball," Adebayo told reporters Friday. "Being a center, being able to play both sides of the ball and being able to pass as well as I can, that's a difference-maker on a team, especially at the center spot, so it's respect at all levels."

Adebayo's ascent was one of the most entertaining storylines last season, as he went from averaging 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2018-19 to 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game last season, just his third in the league. 

Yet there's no question Adebayo can still take his game to another level. He'll have to if he hopes to change the game.

Last season marked the first time the Kentucky product made the All-Star Game, and he finished the campaign as a second-team All-Defensive selection. A surprise victory during the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in February proved he has the tools to excel in every area on the court, but Adebayo is looking to the future.

"I definitely want to be, long time down the road when my career ends, whenever somebody mentions a top-five center or top-five power forward, they always got to mention my name," Adebayo said. "That's how I want to be remembered. Keep changing basketball."

Still just 23 years old, Adebayo likely hasn't reached his prime—a boon for a Miami team that just made the NBA Finals.

The Heat's postseason run established the forward as a legitimate pairing with Jimmy Butler and someone worth building around. Locking him into a five-year extension this offseason was the first step in that process.

Letting Bam be Bam will be the next.

Adebayo said Friday:

"An organization believes in me to where I'm worth [up to $200 million]. So when you put it in that form, responsibility really kicks in and it really hits home. Now it's my time to figure out how we can win, how we can get to that level—where we can raise that trophy. That's my goal. That's the responsibility that I have, and I'm going to figure that out one way or another."

The Miami Heat exceeded projections by reaching the 2020 NBA Finals before falling short against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, the question is how they'll respond to the burden of expectations after last season's memorable playoff run.

Jimmy Butler returns to lead an otherwise up-and-coming roster also featuring Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. The Heat also added first-round pick Precious Achiuwa to bolster the rotation in what's shaping up to be a deeper Eastern Conference.

"I'm so comfortable with being myself—more than I've ever been," Butler told reporters before the Finals. "Not saying I've ever not wanted to be myself, but now I know 'myself' is the right way."

It's a mindset that helped the Heat reach the NBA's championship series for the first time since 2014, and now another deep postseason run is expected.

Let's check out all of the important information following the league's first-half schedule release Friday. That's followed by a season preview and prediction for Miami.

               

2020-21 Heat Schedule Details

Season Opener: Heat at Orlando Magic; Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: 20-1 (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

First-Half Schedule: NBA.com

            

Top Matchups

Los Angeles Lakers (Feb. 20 at Lakers)

The Lakers proved themselves as the NBA's gold standard by dispatching the Heat in six games during the Finals. Their rematches during the upcoming campaign will once again provide Butler and Co. with a measuring stick of their progress.

Miami dealt with key injuries in the Finals, with both Adebayo and Goran Dragic missing games, and the deeper Lakers looked like the far more rested side in the deciding Game 6. L.A. would have still been the favorite under a scenario where both sides were healthy, but the series may have gone the distance.

Aside from the rematch storyline, any head-to-head battle between Butler and James is starting to become must-see TV. They went back and forth in the final minutes of Game 5 in what may ultimately go down as one of the best performances in the Heat star's career.

               

Brooklyn Nets (Jan. 23 at Nets)

All eyes will be on the Nets as the partnership of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving takes center stage after a one-year delay brought on by KD's recovery from a ruptured Achilles.

As the Lakers illustrated, a tandem of two superstars is enough to immediately vault a team toward championship contention. Brooklyn has a lot of variables in play, including a first-time head coach in Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash, but the talent is undoubtedly there.

In turn, Miami will be forced to show its more collaborative approach is capable of taking down a team with two high-end scoring options. It wouldn't be a shock to see the Heat and Nets face off for the East title come playoff time.

            

Season Forecast

The Heat arrived in the championship conversation a year or two earlier than expected, and there's no reason to believe they'll leave it anytime soon.

It's unclear whether they have the makeup to become a dominant regular-season squad, especially with the East starting to become more competitive as a whole. Seeding will be more important if the 2021 playoffs are held more traditionally at home arenas with fans in the stands.

A lot will depend on whether Herro and Robinson can take the next step toward stardom by building on their strong showings throughout the playoffs. Adebayo's steady rise suggests he'll be one of the league's most efficient interior forces in the year ahead.

The Heat should finish the regular season around 50 wins, which should be good enough to earn them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The difference at the top of the conference should only be a handful of games, so there's plenty of room for movement even with a few extra victories.

After that, anything less than another appearance in the conference finals would be a disappointment based on their success in 2020.

    

Record Prediction: 45-27

The Miami Heat have reportedly picked up the option in guard Tyler Herro's contract for the 2021-22 season.

According to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel, Herro is set to earn $4 million in 2021-22, which will be his third NBA season.

Miami selected the 20-year-old Herro with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Kentucky, and he played a significant role in the Heat's run to the NBA Finals last season as a rookie.

Per Spotrac, Herro will make $3.8 million next season based on his rookie-scale contract. That number will rise to $4 million in 2021-22, and if the Heat exercise their option for 2022-23, he will make about $5.7 million that season.

While All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were the backbone of the Heat last season, Herro was one of a handful of players whose contributions made Miami one of the deepest and best teams in the NBA.

Herro appeared in 55 regular-season games and made eight starts. In 27.4 minutes per contest, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 three-pointers made while shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep.

He also appeared in 21 playoff games and raised his level of play, averaging 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 trifectas.

While the Heat came up just short of their championship aspirations last season by falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals, they are built for another run next season.

The roster remains almost entirely intact with Butler and Adebayo as the nucleus, flanked by a host of other key players, including Herro, Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic.

If the Heat are going to take the next step and win it all in 2020-21, it may hinge largely on Herro's continued development into a dangerous offensive player who perfectly complements the skills of Butler and Adebayo.

Since Butler is the do-it-all lifeblood of the team and Adebayo is a dominant interior presence, Herro's best bet is to continue working on his shooting stroke and establishing himself as one of the top outside threats in the league.

If he can do that, the Heat will be a tough out in the Eastern Conference again, and he will begin setting himself up for a massive contract in the future.

Power forward Paul Eboua, a Cameroonian who most recently played for Victoria Libertas Pesaro in Italy, will begin his NBA career as a member of the Miami Heat.

Per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Heat are going to sign Eboua to an Exhibit 10 contract. 

Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Paul Eboua

Position: PF

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 209

Scouting Report: Eboua has stood out for years with his strong, chiseled frame and motor. While the flashes of touch and face-up drives are encouraging, his NBA calling card will be finishing, rebounding and providing a physical presence inside.

Under an Exhibit 10 contract, players are paid the league minimum salary for one year and a bonus of up to $50,000 depending on the number of games played if he gets waived and remains with the organization in the G League. 

Eboua, 20, played last season in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A. He averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 17 appearances. 

The Heat will likely use Eboua on their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Their long history of developing young players makes this a prime landing spot for the Cameroon native as he begins his NBA career. 

The Miami Heat reportedly plan to pursue Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo if the two-time NBA MVP enters free agency next summer, but All-Star center Bam Adebayo's five-year max extension would force the Heat to be more creative in reaching that goal due to salary-cap concerns.

However, Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported Tuesday that the Heat may have earned themselves some goodwill with the two-time MVP: 

"A source who knows Antetokounmpo well said he would be more impressed by the Heat giving Adebayo the extension now than asking Adebayo to wait a year for the purpose of making it easier for the Heat to acquire Antetokounmpo. Adebayo and Antekounmpo are friends and share the same agent, Alex Saratsis."

The Heat are rumored to be going "all in" on signing Antetokounmpo in the summer of 2021, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. 

Chiang and Jackson also said Antetokounmpo remains "the Heat’s primary target in 2021 free agency."

As the Miami Herald duo noted, Antetokounmpo has until a Dec. 21 deadline to sign a supermax extension with the Bucks. If he does not do that, then he will enter free agency next summer.

Chaing and Jackson explained how the Adebayo extension complicates that pursuit:

"Adebayo’s cap hit for 2021-22 would be $15.3 million if Miami waited until next offseason to give him a new contract. His 2021-22 cap hit is expected to be at least $28.1 million with his max extension.

"That difference of about $13 million is huge, because it makes it realistically impossible for Miami to sign Antetokounmpo—or another free agent such as Victor Oladipo—using cap space."

Therefore, a sign-and-trade would be the likely path to go for Miami.

On Adebayo's end, he told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he is currently unaware of Antetokounmpo's future intentions at the moment.

The 2020-21 NBA season is scheduled to begin Dec. 22.

The Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo have agreed to a five-year, $163 million extension, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe, who spoke to Adebayo's agents.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first reported word of the deal.

Adebayo is eligible for a rookie maximum contract -- $163M with trigger for $195.6M -- and Miami plans to sign him to the new deal, source says. https://t.co/4UCqLdLKLx

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 24, 2020

The 23-year-old has one year remaining on his current contract before he's eligible to become a restricted free agent ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season.

Most expected the Heat to re-sign the 2020 All-Star, especially after his breakthrough this past year. He averaged 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The only real question was when Miami would formally table an offer.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Monday on Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin that the Heat had an incentive to wait on re-signing Adebayo since they'd potentially have the salary-cap space to pursue a star free agent next offseason.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious target for Miami and other championship contenders, but he's far from the only marquee name poised to hit the market. Making a big splash in free agency isn't impossible for the Heat but will become much harder with Adebayo's pay raise set to be locked in now.

Adebayo's contract can be close to $200 million depending on super-max considerations. Heat would need to jump through a lot of hoops to also add max free agent next summer. But now have ample assets for sign-and-trade for one next summer, or a deal this season. https://t.co/qcLfXd2sDL

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) November 24, 2020

Few things with Bam & MIA doing a contract extension now:

-Takes away somewhere between $13-$18M of 2021 cap space

-Heat can still get to max space, but it's definitely harder without moving some guys

-Bam & Giannis share an agent, so there could be some early knowledge here

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 24, 2020

The Athletic's Eric Nehm noted Antetokounmpo and Adebayo share an agent, Alex Saratsis.

Perhaps the Heat's front office is getting the impression Giannis is leaning toward signing a supermax deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks. In that case, rewarding Adebayo for his breakout makes sense over preserving salary-cap space that can still be created again anyway—albeit with some more work required.

If we’ve learned anything about the NBA over the last few seasons is that saving cap space or room isn’t as important as it seems. If a star player wants to be on a team. A star player will find his way to that team. Period. Trust me, the Heat know what there doing.

— Will Manso (@WillManso) November 24, 2020

The 2017 first-round pick has watched some of his peers get paid handsomely. De'Aaron Fox was the first to get extended, pledging his future to the Sacramento Kings. Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum were the next two to cash out.

Now, it's Adebayo's turn.