What to Know
- Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who has spent his entire career with the team, is reportedly set to take meetings with at least two teams.
Miami Heat fans have been through this before with longtime veteran guard Dwyane Wade. With free agency in the NBA set to get underway at 12:00 AM Friday morning, Wade has again made it clear that he wants to be paid like the man who helped lead the franchise to three NBA titles.
The 13 year guard, who has spent his entire career with the team, signed a one year contract with Miami last offseason and is now reportedly willing to listen to potential offers from other teams.
Various reports from outlets such as ESPN have Wade talking with several teams outside of Miami, including the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. Heat fans might find a move to those teams hard to swallow as Miami played both franchises in four of their five all-time Finals appearances, going 1-1 against each team.
Wade, who has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years, is coming off maybe his best season in the last five years and will likely use that (along with those three championships) as a reason why he should get the maximum contract money the team can offer.
What will complicate things for Heat President Pat Riley is that Miami has a sit down with the biggest free agent this year, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant this weekend in New York. Add that to the team’s hope the keep center Hassan Whiteside, who has become a sought after free agent and may also seek max money, and the team may not be able to give Wade the money he is seeking right now.
A Chicago native, Wade may also consider the hometown Bulls, who recently traded star guard Derrick Rose and are in the market for a replacement.
