Lakers and Heat discuss Adebayo deal, four first-round picks Gareves, Riley demands raising quotation

The latest report by Jowan Buha, a reporter from Los Angeles Times, has expanded the target of center signing to Bam Adebayo. President Robert Pelinka has discussed topics related to the transaction with the Heat's management. If the Heat are willing to give Adebayo, the Lakers will give away the next four first-round draft picks.

The Lakers entered the offseason with many questions. The requirements for building a team around Doncic are very obvious. A top center is required to cooperate with Doncic's ball-holding and play to complete the end on the offensive end and become the core of the defensive system. It is difficult for the Lakers to get Gafford and Derek Lively of the Mavericks. Pelinka also made it clear in an interview that under the conditions of getting an All-Star center, defender Austin Reeves and multiple first-round draft picks will be packaged and given away. The Lakers' roster of candidates for Doncic to find a center partner is still increasing, and the teams Pelinka contacted have also expanded to the Eastern Conference Heat, aiming at Adebayo, who has excellent defense.

Adebayo has excellent defense, comprehensive offensive skills, top-level low-post offensive ability, and is also good at pick-and-roll cooperation from the online line. He can not only hold the ball as the starting point of the offensive, but also play some hand-passing passes as the tactical axis. From the technical level of basketball, Adebayo and Doncic can truly improve the Lakers' strength to the championship level. At the press conference at the end of the season, both Pelinka and Reddick admitted that the lack of strength in the center position caused harm to the team. Pelinka used "an alley threat on the offensive end" and "a body-like defender who can have an impact on the inside" to describe the type of center the Lakers are aiming at, but did not rule out the center that can open up space on the offensive end.

"Trading to get Adebayo is of course the best choice, and Pelinka is working hard to move in this direction." Jowan Buha said, "The uncertainty of Antetokounmpo's trade has made the Heat face a rebuilding situation. It is difficult for the continued maintenance of Adebayo and Taylor Hero's lineup to continue to be a strong contender in the East." Losing Adebayo will be a huge loss for the Heat. Spoelstra's tactical system relies on Adebayo as a defensive pillar and a choice point for multi-faceted offense. However, the Heat's gaining future draft picks from Reeves, Finney Smith and the Lakers is one way to get out of the current predicament. After the Heat traded Adebayo, it gave Weil the opportunity to grow and adapt to his role, while also inspiring young forwards like Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic.

Jowan Buha revealed that the Heat did not reject the Lakers' trade proposal, and at least was open to the dialogue and discussion of the trade. The Heat will focus on the 20-year-old Wealth as a key player in the future. The center with the 15th pick in the first round has shown excellent talent potential. The rookie can score 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.2 minutes of the season. Spoelstra believes that he is enough to become a dominant defensive player, and at the same time, a big player with a unique size, able to open up space on the offensive end. Trading Adebayo means that the Heat officially enters the next reconstruction period, which is why the Lakers have the opportunity to realize their trading plans.

Pellinka is full of sincerity in discussing with the Heat, put Reeves, Smith, Kneckett and four first-round draft picks on the negotiating table, including the 2031 or 2032 first-round draft picks, and the 2026, 2028 and 2030 first-round draft pick exchange rights. It is worth it for the Lakers to pay a huge price for the 27-year-old Adebayo. Adebayo averaged 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season, and has a 35.7% three-point shooting percentage. There is reason to believe that Adebayo joins the Lakers to join forces with Doncic, and has the opportunity to further improve offensive efficiency. He can also be a stable inside partner of Doncic in the next seven or eight years. The Lakers only need to upgrade their lineup around this pair to have the ability to win the championship.

"The Lakers and the Heat have a positive conversation about the deal, and the Heat are more interested in the Lakers' trading plan." Jowan Buha said, "The two teams have mixed reviews of this deal. Some people claim that Heat President Pat Riley asks for a higher price, and some executives believe that the Lakers have given up too much for this deal." It is obvious that the Lakers want to compete for the championship in the next few years, and Adebayo is undoubtedly the best inside puzzle. However, this deal means a new roster for the Heat, but the Heat management has to face the bottleneck of the cap of Adebayo leading the team. Adebayo's contract has four years left for $205 million, with a salary of $37.1 million next season and a salary of more than $52 million in the next three years. For the Heat, it is also a rational choice to deal with Adebayo's huge salary and get back a large amount of high-quality assets. For the Lakers, Reeves packed the first-round draft pick for Adebayo and had a chance to win the championship next season.