Heat, Bam Adebayo Agree to Three-Year, $166M Contract Extension

The Miami Heat and starting center Bam Adebayo agree to a three-year, $166 million contract extension, according to reports. Adebayo, who turns 27 on July 18, will sign the deal when the NBA’s free agency moratorium ends on July 6.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo will have an average annual salary of about $55.3 million

Miami’s captain has two years and about $72 million remaining on his current deal with the Heat. This is part of the five-year, $163 million contract he signed with the team in 2020. Adebayo is three years into his current deal.

Adebayo’s annual salary as a part of that deal will be roughly $55.3 million, which will make him the fifth-highest-paid NBA player in average annual value (AAV), per Spotrac.

The Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo – a three-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive player – intend to reach a three-year, $166 million maximum contract extension, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Heat expect to lock in their cornerstone center through the 2028-29 season. pic.twitter.com/r8K8P6nyRE

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 26, 2024

Had Adebayo this past season met the criteria for a supermax deal, he would have been paid $245 million over four years. However, he still pushed for such an extension with the Heat this summer.

By meeting supermax criteria, Adebayo could have been eligible for a five-year, $346 million contract. Under supermax criteria, he would have been eligible for a salary as high as $59.7 million at the 2026-27 start of an extension.

Adebayo averaged a career-high 10.4 rebounds, grabbed a career-best 737 rebounds last season

Furthermore, the three-time All-Star has made the NBA All-Defensive Team in each of the past five seasons, getting selected for the first team for the first time this past season.

“I feel it’s a long time coming, obviously,” Adebayo said when he made the first team. “Just staying in this moment, enjoying it, blessed to be able to be one of the ones selected.”

In 71 games (all starts) in the 2023-24 season, he averaged 19.3 points, a career-high 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 34 minutes per game while shooting 52.1% from the field, 35.7% from 3-point range, and 75.5% at the foul line.

The seven-year veteran finished 11th in total rebounds (737) and 20th in offensive rebounds (184). He also ranked 10th in defensive boards (578), seventh in defensive win shares (4.3), and eighth in defensive rating (108.5).

Additionally, he recorded a career-high 737 rebounds with the Heat, surpassing his previous high of 735 in 2019-20.

Adebayo also helped the U.S. Olympic team win gold at the Tokyo Games three years ago. The 6-foot-9 big man is part of the team that will play at the Paris Games starting next month.