The Miami Heat and the NBA Play-In Tournament — the pair goes together like peanut butter and jelly. That fact was a point of contention for Bam Adebayo after a back and forth with his head coach, Erik Spoelstra, fell under the spotlight amid a string of underwhelming results.
"I don't want to be in the f***ing Play-In," Adebayo told reporters a loss. "So, every game, I'm [going to] try to go out there and do the best I can to carry this team, and force our way out of there."
That much might be wishful thinking for the Heat star. In all fairness, it is certainly doable. There is not a lot of separation between seeds five through 10 in the Eastern Conference. They have just done very little in the second half of this season to inspire real confidence in their ability to lock in and secure the fifth or sixth spot.
If the Heat head for the offseason after another quick trip to the playoffs via the Play-In, or miss the postseason altogether, that could leave enough cracks in the foundation to force a makeover down in South Beach. The Los Angeles Lakers might have prying hands in that instance.
Heat blowing it up in the summer would cry out for Lakers' attention
Pat Riley and the Heat have been the kings of inaction. A portion of the Lakers fandom may not love Rob Pelinka, but at least it feels like there is a plan. Jimmy Butler's incredible playoff heroics aside, Miami have felt disjointed and directionless in recent years.
If that means finally embracing a reset (important caveat since tanking has not really been Riley's style), the Lakers should have interest in being on the other end.
Adebayo, theoretically, would be a fantastic addition to the Lakers in terms of the skill set he could offer. Luka Doncic would have a fun time with the star big man on both ends of the court. However, Bam's hefty $160.4 million extension could just pose way too many challenges to truly make him a viable trade candidate for Los Angeles.
Where this conversation is of most intrigue to the Lakers is Andrew Wiggins.
These two sides flirted with the idea of a trade around the two-way wing already, but Riley proved to be a little too stingy in his asking price. Whether that changes would be of great interest here.
Wiggins has a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27. The Lakers could bypass the Heat altogether if the former NBA champion simply chose to decline that option and enter unrestricted free agency.
The problem with that idea is how unlikely it would be for Wiggins to get that type of yearly salary on the open market. Even a team like the Lakers, who are desperate for his type of skill set, should not be expected to commit long-term money at that price point. They could offer more security than a one-year option, but it would need to be at a cheaper price.
Should Wiggins choose to pick up his player option, the Lakers could still come calling about a trade. This time, with him being an expiring contract, it could be a different discussion with Riley's Heat.
Miami have been a team stuck in the mud. If the upcoming summer is when they are finally willing to consider some real change, the Lakers will want to keep close tabs on the situation.