Feb 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14), guard Davion Mitchell (45), forward Andrew Wiggins (22) and center Bam Adebayo (13) high five after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Miami Heat Star Viewed As Biggest Building Block For Future

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Sean Jordan | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Miami Heat are one of the NBA rosters in an interesting situation. While the moves this offseason point to the team being a contender in the Eastern Conference, the relatively young roster also has the signs of a team potentially heading towards a rebuild. Even with the inconsistent viewpoint of the outlook of the franchise, there are cornerstones and All-Star talents on the roster who can be viewed as building blocks for the future.

Bleacher Report performed an exercise, predicting which player would be kept on every NBA team if only one could be kept. The Heat's candidate is three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo. As to why Adebayo was nominated over recent All-Star Tyler Herro, the article further elaborated.

"Tyler Herro had a better, more impactful 2024-25 season than Adebayo," the article wrote. "Herro is also younger and cheaper. If you wanted to argue he'd be the Heat's keeper, those are probably your best talking points... Track record suggests Adebayo is better than he played this past season, and maybe Herro isn't quite as good as he looked. Adebayo's defense (featuring both paint protection and switch-everything versatility) is also more reliably elite than Herro's offense, which might feature too much tough-shot-making to be consistently efficient. Herro might work better as a featured player than Adebayo, but neither is anchoring a contender, and Adebayo can more easily a complement a true No. 1."

Adebayo signed an extension last offseason. He is under contract through 2028 with a player option through 2029. If he is moved at some point, there is no urgency to trade him sooner rather than later. However, Adebayo is rightfully viewed as a strong piece for this Miami team who could be a mid-seeded East playoff team this season.