Teams have inquired about trading for Bam Adebayo, but the Miami Heat have adamantly said no, according to Zach Lowe.
“I know exactly what he is to that franchise. He’s the standard bearer, the culture bearer," Lowe said on The Zach Lowe Show. "Other teams have definitely asked about Bam and have been told hell no. As they sniff around Giannis and other stars, all of those stars are going to want to play with Bam. And I do think Miami will more than sniff around Giannis.”
It's no surprise that stars want to play with Bam. In fact, the idea of pairing with him was a major factor in Miami being Damian Lillard's preferred landing spot when he requested a trade from Portland in 2023.
Damian Lillard won't get to team up with Bam Adebayo
With similar laid-back personalities, the two gelled as starters in the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning the Gold Medal in Tokyo, Japan. Dame wanted to keep it going in Miami.
One major roadblock to making that a reality was that Portland initially asked for Jimmy Butler or Adebayo in return for Lillard. The Blazers weren't enthralled enough by a potential package Miami could put together without their star players, electing to surprisingly send Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo instead.
Following two consecutive first-round playoff exits and a brutal Achilles injury, Lillard was waived and stretched by Milwaukee to clear space to sign Myles Turner. That presented a golden opportunity for Lillard and the Blazers to reunite, something that was inevitably expected to happen -- just not this soon.
Lillard is expected to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season as he takes a patient rehab approach. He's adamant on returning to form despite such a brutal injury at 35 years old, something that previously would've been a career-ender. If that is the case, it gives Portland a massive boost and justifies a potential decision to accelerate its rebuild.
As one of the best defensive bigs in the league, Bam would've done wonders for helping Portland become the elite defensive team they aspire to be. Of course, the silver lining is that they already have a defensive anchor of their own in Donovan Clingan. Still, a considerable part of what makes Bam such an elite defender is his rare versatility out on the perimeter, an area in which Clingan gets exposed.
Portland still owns valuable future draft capital from Milwaukee thanks to the Lillard deal. And with Miami being considered one of the most likely landing spots should Giannis ultimately request a trade, it would've been a perfect chance for Portland to come away with Bam in a multi-team deal.
Unfortunately, that dream pairing no longer appears to be on the table. The Blazers' quest for star power continues.