Bam Adebayo: Heat Going Through 'Growing Pains' After Jimmy Butler Trade to Warriors

It's a new era in Miami and the Heat are experiencing some of the tribulations of that task.

The Heat dealt star guard Jimmy Butler ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, ending his six-year tenure with the franchise. Butler has thrived with his new team, the Golden State Warriors, and the Heat have gone 4-12 since the move.

While it hasn't been ideal, Heat star Bam Adebayo described it as "growing pains" and that he and guard Tyler Herro are growing into leadership roles.

“It’s growing pains for us,” Adebayo said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “This is the first situation that’s it has really been just me and Tyler. I mean, obviously, the addition of [Andrew Wiggins], but we’re still trying to get Wiggs comfortable to where he can be fully himself. Right now, we’re keeping it simple for him and just kind of getting out of his way. But for me and Tyler, it’s more so understanding that we know how hard it is to win in this league. You can never take that for granted.”

Adebayo has averaged 17.5 points and 10 rebounds in 64 games for the Heat in 2023-24. Herro is averaging 23.8 points, 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 63 games while new acquisition Andrew Wiggins has averaged 19.3 games in his 10 games since the Butler trade.

It's a franchise without their former clear leader but the talent on the roster could get it together before the postseason. The Heat are currently 29-37 and sit in ninth in the Eastern Conference.