Will Dwyane Wade be playing with any team other than the Miami Heat next season?
No.
He just likes to pretend that’s a possibility.
From ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst:
Dwyane Wade’s initial contract discussions with the Miami Heat have not produced a common ground between the parties, and he is preparing to field outside offers when free agency opens Friday, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that Wade’s representatives have made it known to multiple teams over the past several days that he will be on the market. Some teams have been skeptical, wondering whether Wade would seriously consider leaving the franchise where he has played 13 seasons and won three titles.
Sound familiar? Because it should.
Wade and the Heat took forever to hammer out a contract last summer, but even that didn’t lead to a divorce. This year is far more complicated. The Heat have more free agents to consider, and they’ll also likely meet with all the big names. Reaching an agreement with Wade now tethers them to one investment, limiting their flexibility on other fronts.
Miami is limited in its wiggle room overall as well. Even if team president Pat Riley gets Wade to take a discount, he’ll be hard pressed to keep both him and Hassan Whiteside while making any sort of pitches to other marquee gets.
In all likelihood, then, the Heat probably want Wade, 34, to sign another one-year deal, so that they can enjoy more spending power next summer, when the salary cap explodes again. Wade, though, is probably looking for a long-term deal after essentially playing out the last two seasons on one-year pacts.
So yes, this is a problem. But it’s not a death knell. The only way Wade suits up with another squad is if he’s playing alongside Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James or Chris Paul, and that’s just not in the cards this summer. Like last season, he’ll ultimately stay put.
