Heat will grant Bam Adebayo his wish if fresh trade rumors are true.
Predicting what’s next for the Miami Heat could be borderline unpredictable. However, in reading the tea leaves, Miami could be attempting to make a draft-night move that could end up granting Bam Adebayo’s wish of playing with his former college teammate, Malik Monk.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Sacramento Kings are exploring the possibility of acquiring a first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft. As part of those trade talks, the Kings have reportedly begun to gauge the market for Malik Monk and Devin Carter.There haven’t been (reported) direct links between the Heat and Kings talking a Monk trade yet, but they do seem as natural trade partners that could help each side accomplish what they may be seeking at this point during the offseason.
Is this a gamble worth taking for the Heat?
Trading for Monk won’t be as simple as perhaps many believe it would. Sure, the Heat have the matching salary and first-round pick in this year’s draft to make it work, but would that be enough for the Kings to pull the trigger on a deal?
I suppose we’d first have to know what the Kings’ priority is heading into the rest of the offseason. Are they looking to rebuild or retool their roster, or are they hoping to keep this core together in an attempt to make the playoffs this upcoming season? If the latter is the case, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense to trade Monk for an expiring contract and a late first-round pick.Pair that bit of reporting with the whispers that the Heat are open to trading the No. 20 overall pick in the draft, and the fact that Miami has been linked to Sacramento already this offseason (and that those talks have not centered around DeMar DeRozan), there’s a chance that Bam Adebayo could be a very happy man in a few days.
Bam and Monk have a good relationship extending back to their days at Kentucky. After missing out on the big target that Kevin Durant represented for the Heat, it would only make sense to make a much smaller move that could help appease their franchise player. Adding Monk would accomplish that for the Heat.At the same time, the Heat could have some concerns, too. Monk’s contract runs through the 2027-28 season, with a player option for that final year. Adding that contract could limit and all but eliminate much of the financial flexibility the team is hoping to have next summer.
Then again, if the Heat believes that Monk’s contract is a readily tradable one, perhaps they wouldn’t have that big of an issue in pulling the trigger on such a deal. Especially if this is a move that is going to make Bam happy.
At this point, that may be the goal of the offseason if you’re the Heat. The last thing they want is a franchise player who is discontent. Even though there are no direct whispers that Bam is trending in that direction, it’s certainly a danger that has to linger at all times.
