Miami's payroll sits at $210.5M, above the $209.0M first apron, anchored by Giannis Antetokounmpo's $58.5M salary. Bam Adebayo's $49.8M sits right behind it, with two new Exhibit 10 camp deals added this week without touching that number.
The Apron Line
Miami's payroll reads $210.5M, over the $209.0M first apron and well past the $200.4M luxury tax line. Giannis Antetokounmpo's $58.5M salary carries the largest share. Bam Adebayo's $49.8M sits right behind it, with Andrew Wiggins's $30.2M player option, Nikola Jovic's $16.2M and Bobby Portis's $14.5M filling out the top five. None of that was unexpected — this is what building around Antetokounmpo costs.
Camp Deals, Not Cap Hits
The two additions that actually moved the roster this week cost the Heat almost nothing against that number. Bez Mbeng joined off waivers September 22, and Ian Schieffelin's Exhibit 10 deal put him on the roster September 27. Both are non-guaranteed camp contracts, the kind of depth a team above the apron can still add without touching the guaranteed number.
Picks Already Spoken For
The bigger issue sits further out. Miami's 2027 first is protected to Charlotte, its 2028 first is conditional to Charlotte, and its 2028 second is conditional to Detroit. The first fully Miami-owned first doesn't arrive until 2029. That's the asset a team normally uses to fix a roster mid-season — and Miami has already committed most of what it had.
Bottom Line
Two Exhibit 10 signings don't threaten the apron number, so camp-level depth is fine for now. What's missing is a plan B: if this roster needs a real fix once games count, Miami is short on picks to trade and already priced above the line meant to keep it from adding salary. Can this group absorb a real setback? Not without giving up something that hasn't already been promised to Charlotte or Detroit.
Are the Heat over the salary cap for 2026-27?
Yes. Miami's payroll is $210.5M, above the $209.0M first apron and the $200.4M luxury tax line, against a $165.0M salary cap.
Why did the Heat sign Ian Schieffelin if they're already over the apron?
Schieffelin's deal is an Exhibit 10, a non-guaranteed camp contract that adds roster depth without adding meaningfully to the guaranteed payroll number.
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