NBA Rumors: Heat can trade Bam Adebayo & Tyler Herro for Joel Embiid
Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat are currently in the midst of an impressive playoff run in the Eastern Conference. With a 3-1 lead over the Boston Celtics, the team sits just one win away from the NBA Finals. At the same time, 2023 MVP Joel Embiid has been forced to watch the series unfold from back home.
In the second round of the playoffs, the Celtics came back from down 3-2 to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers. In the wake of their loss, the team fired coach Doc Rivers, fueling quite a bit of uncertainty.
Additionally, reports have continued to surface that James Harden could look to head back to Houston to join newly-appointed coach Ime Udoka. That said, HoopsHype's Michael Sotto believes that Embiid could also try to force his way to Miami:
"Theoretically, if that happened, if I’m Joel, I think he’s always had an affinity for Jimmy Butler. If I’m Philly and Harden leaves, do you call Miami and ask for Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and other pieces there (for Embiid)?
"Daryl Morey always struck me as a guy that acquires stars. He doesn’t trade them unless he’s getting another star back."
Does Jimmy Butler & Joel Embiid's friendship increase chances of Bam Adebayo trade?
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have found success together, going to the finals in the bubble, and making a run to the ECF this year. Despite that, it's no secret that Butler and Embiid also have a great friendship.
During Butler's time with the Philadelphia 76ers, he and Joel Embiid seemed to complement each other well on the court. Butler's playmaking abilities help set Embiid up, which helped to open up his own game down the stretch as well.
Off the court, the two became good friends, and as a result, Embiid seemed understandably upset by Butler being traded. At the time, he spoke to media, saying:
“Obviously everybody had a great relationship. I'm going to miss those three guys, especially JJ and Jimmy. JJ was my guy. Jimmy is my brother, we still talk a lot. I'm going to miss them a lot."
He added:
“I don't think anything changes. But now we have more time. Last year we had a little time to get to know each other, and it started off rough. And that is my fault, too. I've gotta be a better leader. But this year, we've got a whole year to figure it out."
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Not long after the comments, Embiid also went on record while speaking to Rachel Nichols of ESPN, and said that he would like to see Butler return in the future.
Although the Miami Heat have a strong two-way center in Bam Adebayo, MVP Joel Embiid would certainly be considered quite an upgrade. Whether or not Miami is interested in breaking up the duo remains to be seen.
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