After spending 13 years with the Miami Heat, a tenure that spanned five NBA Finals appearances, one super-duper team and three championships, Dwyane Wade is struggling to process his departure.
Consider his recent comments, per the Palm Beach Post‘s Anthony Chiang and the Miami Herald‘s Ethan J. Skolnick:
Wade: "I'm trying to get used to the idea, but it's hard. It's hard to get used to the idea of not being (in Miami)."
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) July 9, 2016
Wade: "This was not an easy decision for me. I wish I had another month to make it."
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) July 9, 2016
Much to the surprise of anyone who believed in his Heat lifer status, Wade put pen to paper on a two-year $47.2 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. The Windy City’s offer exceeded Miami’s best bitch by around $7.5 million.
That’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but Wade just wrapped up his second season playing on a one-year deal, and he has made financial concessions in the past. With all the money being handed to players this summer, amid an unprecedented salary-cap explosion, he saw this as his chance to get compensated for all the sacrifices he has previously made.
The Heat justifiably didn’t want a Kobe Bryant situation on their hands and stood firm on their more-than-generous offer. And Wade, also justifiably, went where he knew there was more money. There’s nothing really wrong with either party’s stance here.
That said, if Wade actually had another month to make the decision, it seems like he would have stayed, realizing his legacy as a one-team superstar is ultimately worth more than what was a $7.5 million gap in guaranteed money.
Ah, well. Wade is with the Bulls now. It’ll be weird seeing him in a different jersey, but it’ll also be hella fun watching him try to coexist with Rajon Rondo in the backcourt.
