SoFla Guide Editors
Bam Adebayo will be in street clothes Wednesday night when the Heat wrap up their home preseason schedule against the Brooklyn Nets at Kaseya Center. The Athletic, via CBS Sports, reported that Adebayo is out with right groin tightness, and Pelle Larsson is also sidelined with an illness that has been lingering for a while. The good news for anyone already circling opening night on the calendar: Erik Spoelstra does not sound worried about either one.
Who’s out and why
Let’s start with the big man. The Athletic, via CBS Sports, reported that Adebayo will not play against Brooklyn because of right groin tightness. According to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Adebayo also sat out the October 10 preseason game against Minnesota, though that one was listed as rest. So Wednesday will be his second straight preseason game on the bench, just for a different reason this time.
Spoelstra said he is not “overly concerned” about Adebayo’s groin issue, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, via HoopsHype and Yahoo Sports. The coach also planned to play most of his regulars Wednesday, so this is not a rest-everybody-and-go-home kind of night.
Then there is Larsson. The Athletic, via CBS Sports, reported he is out with an illness. The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, via Hoops Rumors, reported that the illness began around the time of the preseason opener in Quebec City and has caused recurring headaches. Larsson started and played 24 minutes against Minnesota on October 10 before leaving that game mid-contest and not returning. He went from doubtful to out for the Nets game.
Here is the part Heat fans actually care about: NBA.com reported that Larsson’s illness is not expected to affect his status for opening night. Deep breath.
What Spoelstra wants to see
This is the fourth of Miami’s five preseason games and the last one at Kaseya Center before the real stuff starts, according to Sports Illustrated’s On SI. Miami entered the night at 2-1 in the preseason, with wins in Quebec City and over New Orleans on October 8 and a loss to Minnesota on October 10.
Spoelstra told WPLG Local 10 that his goal for the final home preseason game is to evaluate the roster’s depth before the regular-season opener. That makes a lot of sense for a roster that looks very different from last year’s. The Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee in a July 6 trade and signed Klay Thompson in August, so there are a lot of new pieces to sort out.
“We have so much depth, and we want to utilize that depth over the course of 82 games,” Spoelstra told WPLG Local 10.
Adebayo himself has been candid about the learning curve with Antetokounmpo. Asked about staggering minutes with Giannis, Adebayo told the Miami Herald, via Yahoo Sports, “We’re still trying to figure this thing out.” Fair enough. It is October.
The Nick Richards clock is ticking
There is also a business decision hanging over this week. The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported, and Yahoo Sports and HoopsHype confirmed, that Nick Richards signed a nonguaranteed one-year deal worth $3.1 million with Miami on August 27 to fill the 14th spot on the standard roster. Richards is 28 and split last season between the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls.
Here is the catch, per the Herald’s Anthony Chiang and Yahoo Sports: Richards’ $3.1 million salary for 2026-27 becomes fully guaranteed if he is on Miami’s roster on opening night, unless the guarantee terms in his contract are amended before then. Opening night is October 21 against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Kaseya Center, according to Yahoo Sports and the Miami Herald. That gives the front office one week.
Richards is taking the measured approach you would expect from a guy who has been around.
“I just take it one day at a time. Ultimately, it’s their decision,” Richards told the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, via Hoops Rumors.
With Adebayo out Wednesday, there could be more frontcourt minutes to go around, which makes this a timely night for Spoelstra to get a longer look at his depth. Whether that factors into the Richards call is up to the Heat, but the timing is hard to ignore.
How to watch
Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, October 14, at Kaseya Center in downtown Miami, according to Sports Illustrated’s On SI. The game airs locally on WPLG Local 10, so you can watch from the couch if you are not making the trip down to Biscayne Boulevard.
After Wednesday, the Heat have one preseason game left before the Timberwolves come to town for the October 21 opener. The big questions between now and then: Is Adebayo’s groin truly a minor thing, as Spoelstra suggested? Does Larsson shake the headaches and get cleared? And what does Miami decide to do about Richards before that $3.1 million locks in?
For a preseason game in the middle of October, there is a surprising amount riding on the next few days.
