On May 13, Beijing time, according to Heat reporter Anthony Chiang, this offseason, the Heat will give Adebayo a lucrative early contract extension. If Bam Adebayo is named to the All-NBA team this season, he could sign a four-year, $245 million contract extension. If he is not selected, he can sign for up to 3 years and 165 million.
As the Church Leader has previously written, Butler is also facing an early contract extension this summer. If Butler waives his 2025-26 player option, he could sign a two-year, $113 million contract this offseason! However, the Heat didn't want to re-sign Butler early this summer, preferring to give Adebayo a big contract first.
Of course, this is not the sect leader's speculation, but Riley's own attitude. After the Heat were eliminated by the Celtics 1-4, Riley specifically talked about Butler's contract extension in an interview: "In theory, Butler has two years left on his contract. Unless you're going to be able to play every night, it's a big decision for us to give us a contract like that. ”
In this year's playoffs, Butler didn't play a game due to injury, but he said in an interview: "If I play, the Celtics are home now, and the Knicks are home!" Riley was annoyed by this: "Is Butler joking, or is he serious?" If you don't make it to the Green or the Knicks, then shut up! ”
It's really rare in the NBA for team executives to publicly criticize leading stars like this. So, this summer, the Heat won't renew Butler's contract ahead of schedule. As for whether the Heat will trade Butler, Riley replied: "I can't give you an answer to this question right now!" "It's heart-wrenching, and now Butler's treatment in the Heat is not as good as Adebayo.
Next, let's talk about Adebayo, who is currently on a five-year, $163 million contract, with a salary of $32.6 million this season, 34.85 million in 2024-25 and 37.1 million in 2025-26. In this year's playoffs, Adebayo averaged 22.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0 blocks per game, shooting 49.5%, 20% and 71.4% from three.
In the regular season this season, Adebayo played 71 games for the Heat, averaging 34 minutes per game, scoring 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks, and shooting 52.1%, 35.7%, and 75.5% from three. Bam Adebayo was the candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year over Thick Eyebrows, and he was voted third.
Butler's decision on the Heat's ceiling is also the biggest contributor to the Heat's three-year Eastern Conference finals, why did Riley give Adebayo a big contract first? On the one hand, Butler's regular season attendance is not high, and on the other hand, there is age. In his five seasons with the Heat, Butler played the most in 64 games and the least in 52 games.
Butler was born on September 14, 1989, and will turn 35 at the start of next season. Adebayo was born on July 18, 1997, eight years younger than Butler. However, Adebayo has been in the NBA for seven seasons, and everyone has seen his ceiling. Riley said: "Adebayo has to extend his range! ”
Think about it carefully, if the contract is renewed for 245 million in 4 years, the average salary will exceed 60 million US dollars, and the current Reba is obviously not worth it! Final question: How much of a contract do you think Adebayor is worth?