Dwyane Wade has no intention of leaving the Miami Heat in free agency.
No, you shouldn’t be surprised, even though the rumor mill tried churning out a scare by suggesting the contrary last week. Wade apparently wants to opt out of his current contract and sign a more lucrative deal. The Heat, quite simply, want him to opt in.
It’s tough to pinpoint who has more leverage in this situation. Wade is still the face of the Heat franchise, especially on the heels of LeBron James’ departure. But he also won’t fetch anywhere near what the Heat are willing to pay him right now, giving them an inherent advantage.
The thinking here is that Wade will try to leverage his willingness to leave against a better offer from Miami. And that, in turn, has some people worried.
This just in: It shouldn’t.
Per the Miami Herald‘s Joseph Goodman:
#HeatTwitter step away from the cliff. Dwyane Wade does not want to leave Miami.
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) June 1, 2015
In other words, put your hot-take shotguns away. There’s nothing to see here. Wade has spent all 12 of his NBA seasons in Miami and has three championship rings to show for it. He’s even taken pay cuts in the past to help the Heat remain flexible in free agency, the most recent of which came last summer, when the team was still courting LeBron in hopes he would eschew a return to Cleveland for the dynasty he was on the verge of forging in South Beach.
Even before now, the most likely scenario had Wade, the Heat or both parties budging.
Maybe Wade just accepts what they’re slinging or opts in. Perhaps the Heat give him what he’s after knowing they cannot really turn elsewhere for help at the shooting guard slot. Maybe the two sides meet in the middle.
Whatever happens, however ugly the rumor mill appears to get, just know that Wade leaving Miami this summer isn’t a last resort, or worst-case scenario, or even a remote possibility.
It’s flat out not going to happen.
