From the time the Cleveland Cavaliers exited the playoffs, rampant rumors began swirling around the franchise. One came true – the firing of head coach  J.B. Bickerstaff. Then began the trade rumors. Many perceived the franchise’s ace Donovan Mitchell could be an attractive trade target for several teams. Given their past efforts and interest in Spida, the Miami Heat were obvious options.

A member of the Heat Nation took to X to forward his request to Miami center Bam Adebayo. “Bring Mitch to Miami & I’ll give you my PS5”. One would expect an NBA player not to entertain such fan queries. Adebayo decided to not only respond but also make his feelings known about such a trade.

He posted a short reel of actor Will Ferrell. Dawning a Knicks hat, he is observed to be pondering over something with a certain degree of enticement and plotting intentions. It seemed to be a hint. The All-Defensive First Team center’s actions indicated he was in favor of playing with Mitchell.

Every NBA fan saw the same thing. “Tampering. I sentence you to Indiana,” one of the fans wrote. Tampering is considered an unfair and unlawful means of luring another player to a team. The NBA has always stood against the practice, even having punishments in place. Depending on certain variables, a team could be fined as much as $10 million if they are caught in the act of tampering.

Another fan soon followed though, notifying the commissioner of Bam Adebyao’s alleged crime. “Tampering I’m telling Adam” they wrote on X. Some even tagged the NBA to report the action. A player being fined for tampering is a rare instance. However, it has happened before with Warriors forward Draymond Green. He was fined $50,000 for attempting to recruit Suns’ Devin Booker while a guest on Inside the NBA.

A Celtics fan saw the funny side and suggested a witty punishment for Adebayo. “Bam Adebayo tampering lmao what a criminal! Send him to Boston as a punishment”, they said. Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey is amongst a short list of people fined for tampering multiple times. The most recent came last year when his two words – “join em” led to a $75,000 fine. A year prior he was booked for talking to PJ Tucker before the offseason. The Sixers had their 2023 and 2024 second-round picks eradicated.

Miami Heat were favorites to land Donovan Mitchell

In 2022, Mitchell entered the free agency market after deciding to part ways with the Utah Jazz. He was by far the biggest difference maker available on the market. The Heat were in dire need of another scoring wing. The demands for both could be achieved with one union. Mitchell almost had his jersey handed to him.

In that offseason, he even trained with Bam Adebayo, something he saw as preparation to play for the Miami Heat. Ultimately, the Cleveland Cavaliers stacked their claim on the All-Star guard. Back then Spida was interested in moving to South Beach. At this junction, the Cavaliers are confident he will resign with the franchise on a max deal.

Which way do you want to see Donovan Mitchell going? Let us know in the comments below. Also, if you want to know about Shaquille O’Neal’s true intentions behind dissing Nikola Jokic’s MVP, watch our interview with his former agent Leonard Armato in the video below.