Does Bam Adebayo's looming max contract impact negotiations between Jimmy Butler and Heat?

The Miami Heat are in a contract battle with Jimmy Butler and fans have been wondering if Bam Adebayo is facing a similar fate to his teammate. According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "Bam Adebayo...is the Heat’s future" at age twenty-six, making it likely that they will give him a three-year, $165 million deal.

This comes as the Heat continue to have contract talks with Jimmy Butler, who supposedly wants a two-year, $113 million extension on top of the two years left on his contract (1+1 with the second year being a player option). Adebayo, who has played second fiddle to Butler in the playoffs during various runs, is a star in this league who can likely serve as the second star of a championship title squad. The big man has two more years left on a five-year, $163 million contract.

Adebayo is coming off a bit of a down season in which he averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists per game on 52 percent shooting in the regular season. While Butler's future with the Miami Heat is uncertain, it's obvious that Miami has a franchise cornerstone in Adebayo and will likely try to build around the star whether Butler is with the squad or not.

Heat likely to offer Bam Adebayo long-term extension and bulid around star

As the Miami Heat endure Butler's contract situation, the franchise will seemingly build around Adebayo or at least try to keep a second star along with him. Even though Butler comes with a lot of baggage, teams will likely give up some first-round picks/young prospects in return for the star.

While Miami will likely be unable to compete for a title next season if Adebayo is the only star on the roster, they can realistically have a clear path to get a second star with the Butler trade return.

Yes, Butler can still be a top-ten veteran on the court in the playoffs but it's hard to give a max extension to a player who doesn't seem to take the regular season seriously, has an extreme attitude related to basketball (while highly commendable, it's is not for everybody), will be 35 years old by the start of the next regular season, and had some injury issues in recent years.

Whether Butler gets traded or extended this offseason, it's easy to see that Adebayo will get his long-term contract with the Heat with them building around him for the foreseeable future.