Whiteside’s status remains biggest offseason question
Olynyk, rookie Adebayo showed promise at center this season.
MIAMI — The Heat entered the offseason with a lot of questions surrounding their roster and very little financial flexibility to make significant changes.
Miami has 11 players under contract for 2018-19 who are due $120 million. That puts the Heat way above the projected $101 million salary cap and very close to the projected $123 million luxury tax line.
Here’s what the Heat have to work with this offseason, with a player-by-player breakdown.
Today we look at the post players:
Bam Adebayo
Age: 20
Season stats: Averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.8 minutes in 69 games (19 starts) as a rookie. He played in the Heat’s five playoff games, with averages of 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.4 minutes.
Contract status: Set to make $3.0 million in 2018-19 on the second year of his rookie-scale contract. The Heat then have
a team option in years three (2019-20) and four (202021) of Adebayo’s contract.
What to know? It was a productive rookie season for Adebayo. Not many expected him to be a con- sistent contributor, but he carved out a role for himself right away.
His energy, defensive versatility and obvious upside make him one of the most intriguing players on the roster moving forward.
But Miami must figure out what its vision is for Adebayo. Is he a power forward or an undersized center? Adebayo could even end up as Hassan Whiteside’s replacement if Whiteside is moved this summer. As for Adebayo, he’s one of the last players the Heat would want to deal this offseason. While still very unlikely, including Adebayo in a trade isn’t completely out of the question if it helps them acquire a star or get rid of a bad contract.
Kelly Olynyk
Age: 27
Season stats: Averaged career-highs in points (11.5), rebounds (5.7) and assists (2.7) in 76 regular-season games. Olynyk averaged 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the playoffs.
Contract status: Set to make $12.5 million in 201819, which is the second year of a four-year free-agent deal he signed with the Heat last summer. Olynyk is due $13.1 million in 2019-20 and has a player option worth $13.6 million in 2020-21.
What to know? When grading last offseason’s Heat signings, Olynyk’s contract has turned out to be the best value so far. In his first year with Miami, he turned in the best statistical season of his career.
Coach Erik poelstra even played Olynyk over Hassan Whiteside at times this season. If Whiteside is traded, Olynyk would be the natural choice to replace him as the starting center. Even if Whiteside returns, Olynyk has already proven he deserves a consistent role after finishing the regular season with the top plus-minus on the team.
SHassan Whiteside Age: 28
Season stats: Averaged 14.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 54 regu- lar-season games. In the playoffs, Whiteside averaged 5.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 15.4 minutes.
Contract status: Set to make $25.4 million in 201819, which is the third season of a four-year, $98 million free-agent deal he signed with the Heat in the summer of 2016. Whiteside has a player option worth $27.1 million in 2019-20, the final season of his contract.
What to know? What will the Heat do with Whiteside? That’s the big question surrounding the organization in the 2018 offseason. Whiteside has been vocal about his displeasure with his playing time and how Erik Spoelstra uses him. As the Heat’s highest paid player, Whiteside averaged just 15.4 minutes of playing time in the playoffs.
Olynyk and Adebayo ate into his minutes. Now, Miami must figure out if Whiteside is still in its future plans.
He should be right in the middle of his prime, but injuries and diminished playing time helped make this season a disappointing one for Whiteside. If the Heat decide they want to trade him, there’s one problem: Whiteside’s trade value looks to be pretty low right now.