Dwyane Wade has always been seen as a franchise player for the Miami Heat. He has always shown willingness to accept a pay cut in his contract in order for the team to sign other stars. That has resulted in a few championship rings for Wade. However, with his contract once again up for renewal, Wade is not sounding so keen on another pay cut. While in the midst of negotiations with the Miami Heat, could Wade be on the verge of departing?
Last summer, Wade gave up around $10 million so the team could give Chris Bosh a max contract while signing players like Luol Deng to help the team. Now, Wade could be looking to get some of that money back. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the negotiations with Wade are not going well. The star prefers to stay with the Heat, but wants a pay raise. Wade has a player option of $16 million the Heat would prefer him to opt in on so that they have more flexibility down the road. However, the veteran is looking for his money.
The Heat are being pressed and now there is growing belief that he might decide to leave. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the option of landing to the New York Knicks could become a reality. Would the Knicks really show interest in Wade over other stars like Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler or LaMarcus Aldrdige? They already have an often-injured star in Carmelo Anthony. The idea of bringing in Wade seems unlikely, but it could also be a good fit considering he and Anthony would take the pressure off one another.
The Knicks are unlikely to land Butler which means they could eye players like Monta Ellis or Louis Williams for help in the area. When healthy, Wade is a top option for the spot, but the issue is that he has not been that in a while. Wade missed 20 games this season and 28 games the year before. At 33, it is hard to take the risk on paying him a lot of money.
According to Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald, these next few months will test the relationship between Wade and the Heat. If Wade opts out, he is not likely to earn another contract worth $16 million in 2015. No team views him as being worth that much. The wise move could be to just resume his relationship with Miami and hope the teams repays him for his loyalty.