"He can fit in anywhere" - Robert Horry says the Heat might lose their biggest star if they're not careful

Given that Bam Adebayo is entering the final year of his five-year, $163 million contract, many expected the Miami Heat to waste no time in locking him down with a massive extension this summer.

Surprisingly, that didn’t happen.

Moreover, to make things even more interesting, reports emerged of teams like the Golden State Warriors keeping a close eye on Bam’s situation so that they could make a quick move if the opportunity arises to make a trade.

For Robert Horry, the idea of losing a player like Adebayo is a big setback for the Heat.

More notably, Horry believes Adebayo is one of those underappreciated bigs who can do everything on the court – from passing, to defending multiple players, to scoring and on top of that being a steady presence in the locker room who maintains full harmony.

Horry’s high praise for Adebayo

Between 2019 and 2024, Adebayo didn’t just help the Heat make two appearances as the ultimate underdogs in the NBA Finals but earned five consecutive All-Defensive Team selections while emerging as a top-five frontrunner for the DPOY award. During the same stretch, not only did he maintain a scoring average of 18.6 points per game, but he also registered a double-double average in three campaigns.

Even when the entire Heat organization was affected by the Jimmy Butler fiasco in the first half of the 2024-25 season, Adebayo maintained his focus and showed up to work, averaging 18.1 points and 9.6 rebounds over 78 appearances in the regular season.

Thus, for Horry, while Bam might not yet be instantly recognized as one of the most versatile bigs in the game, he is indeed the most underappreciated two-way force in the game. More importantly, despite being aware of his abilities, Adebayo has never created a fuss in the team camaraderie and this only fuels Horry’s belief in how Bam Bam can thrive under any team’s system and environment.

“I think he’s gonna wait to see what the organization does, if he’s going to win, because he’s one of the type of players… he can fit in anywhere. He’s a great rebounder, great defender, great shot blocker and if you need him to score, he can,” Horry said on his podcast. “I think he can fit in anywhere.”

The Heat need to win big to convince Adebayo to stay

Considering Adebayo is 28 years old now, he naturally finds himself at a career crossroads. He is entering the prime of his career and if he chooses to leave Miami, he could easily become the missing piece for any championship contender looking to take that final leap.

On the other hand, the Heat themselves are at a crucial juncture. With several players on expiring deals and the franchise undergoing a subtle rebuild, the potential for internal friction and competition within the roster is real. So, as the 2025-26 season approaches, the stakes couldn’t be higher for both sides.

Put simply, if Miami once again struggles to make meaningful progress in the standings, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Adebayo explore new horizons because he knows he can achieve much more, as Horry rightly mentioned, in a new system.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“He can fit in anywhere” – Robert Horry says the Heat might lose their biggest star if they’re not careful

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