Heat sign Bam Adebayo to five-year, $163M extension

The Miami Heat plan to sign 2017 first-round pick Bam Adebayo to a five-year, $163 million extension, according to various reports.

Adebayo’s deal could rise to $195 million if he makes one of the three All-NBA teams or is named either Defensive Player of the Year or Most Valuable Player. Adebayo received 26 All-NBA Third Team votes last season, but did not make the cut.

There is no player option or team option in the five-year extension.

This news comes as a bit of a surprise after the Heat’s previous free agency signings indicated that they were planning to go all-in on the 2021 summer plan to attract Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat’s contracts for Goran Dragic, Meyers Leonard and Avery Bradley all have a team option for the 2021-22 season. Miami even resisted giving Jae Crowder more than one guaranteed year, and he ended up signing with the Phoenix Suns on a three-year contract.

Now, Miami would need to facilitate a sign-and-trade for Antetokounmpo next summer — assuming the two-time defending MVP does not sign a max extension with the Milwaukee Bucks before the season starts.

I wrote back in July that if Adebayo asked for an extension now to have that security, I expected the Heat to give it. Adebayo may have seen fellow 2017 draft class members Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell agree to rookie max extensions in the last few days and think he deserved one, too.