Could The Miami Heat Trade Bam Adebayo?

The Miami Heat's beginning to the 2026-27 season has been criticized after the team has only won only two of their first six games. There are a lot of issues with the team at the moment but the biggest may be the early lack of chemistry between shiny new offseason acquisition Giannis Antetokounmpo and franchise center Bam Adebayo. Antetokounmpo has been playing like his MVP self, averaging 27.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. However, Adebayo has been rather inconsistent and is receiving most of the criticism by the fanbase and media for his performances throughout the first week of the season.

On a recent episode of ALL THE SMOKE: Unplugged, former NBA star Matt Barnes spoke about the possibility of the Heat trading Adebayo if the pairing doesn’t workout while also mentioning the New York Knicks as a destination for Antetokounmpo.

“I’d be interested to see if, if this plan doesn’t go as they thought it would, Giannis leaves or they trade Bam and keep him," Barnes said. "You’d get some stuff for Bam. I don’t think you need a ton. I think they need some youth on the wing. Are the [New York] Knicks praying it doesn’t go well in Miami, KAT doesn’t get the extension and Giannis doesn’t sign the extension, and they just swap those two centerpieces?”

There is a lot to unpack what Barnes thinks could happen down the line for Miami. It seems unlikely the team even considers trading Antetokounpo anytime soon considering they gave up Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis for him this summer. He is most likely the most untouchable player on the roster at the moment.

However, Adebayo may be a different story. He has been one of the most consistent pieces of the Heat's success over the past eight seasons but it could be time for a change of scenery if he struggles to connect with Antetokounmpo on the court. 

Some teams that have been mentioned in the past as potential Adebayo suitors include the Boston Celtics and Knicks.

The Celtics have not had a true star presence at center since winning the 2024 NBA Finals with Kristaps Porzingis. In the seasons since, they have had Neemias Queta, Al Horford and even traded for Nikola Vucevic, who became a non-factor for the team down the stretch of last season and didn't play much in their playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. They signed Mitchell Robinson this offseason but if they have the opportunity to pair Jayson Tatum with Adebayo, Boston may not be able to pass it up.

There is also a distant scenario where the Heat could flip Adebayo to the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns as the latter is currently quietly undergoing a contract dispute with the defending champions. 

Despite the sluggish start from the team, it seems a bit extreme to consider trading either one of the team's two stars but crazier things have happened in the NBA over the past few seasons and a trade involving Adebayo wouldn't be completely out of left field.