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Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo was not able to sign an extension at the 11:59 p.m. deadline on October 23. Through this strategy, the camp of the two-time NBA All-Star is betting on itself this upcoming season to be eligible for a supermax contract 12 months from now.
Adebayo is slated to earn $32.6 million in the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season. He still has $104 million left on his contract, spanning the next three years with the Heat.
To be eligible for a max contract extension, Adebayo needs to make it to an All-NBA team at the end of the season. This means he has to play at a high level and a minimum of 65 games as required by the NBA to be eligible for any recognition.
In the six years that he has played for the Miami Heat, Adebayo has made four NBA All-Defensive teams and two NBA Finals appearances. The former Kentucky Wildcat is coming off his best scoring season at 20.4 points per game. He was also able to provide averages of 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
With Bam Adebayo aiming to make it to an All-NBA team, expect him to do whatever it takes and he should level his game up once again.
Coach Erik Spoelstra can't believe that Bam Adebayo has not won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award yet
As Bam Adebayo is set to take his game to another level, the 2023-24 season could be the year that he gets to be recognized as the best defensive player in the NBA.
After four years of making an NBA All-Defensive team, Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat cannot fathom the reason that Adebayo has not won the ultimate defensive prize. Spoelstra is of the opinion that the 26-year-old center is the best defenseman in the league.
"That one is just unbelievable to me" Spoelstra said (via Sports Illustrated). "I think Bam is the best defensive player in the league and I just can't understand why he's not recognized for how impactful he is on that end of the court. So he's just going to have to prove it again and just do it this year until everybody notices."
Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat will be opening their season on Wednesday, October 25, as they host injury-free Cade Cunningham and the young Detroit Pistons at the Kaseya Center, located in Miami, Florida.
