The Miami Heat want to retain Dwyane Wade on a free agent contract this summer, but the two sides have been odds over money and now that he has decided to opt out in free agency, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, NY Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers could be options to sign Wade if he considers leaving South Beach.
Miami is coming into the offseason with numerous concerns and Wade is one of the top priorities ahead of the opening of free agency. The team has Goran Dragic to re-sign and they now have Luol Deng back after he opted in and all of this is coming with Wade's decision to opt out or not. According to the Miami Herald, Wade and the Heat are at odds on how to move forward on Wade's contract situation, as he is looking for a long term deal and a raise, while Miami had hoped he would use his player option for next season. ESPN reports that Wade is opting out and the decision is not a surprise for the team.
UPDATE: Goran Dragic has agreed a deal to stay with the Heat. The contract may help with Wade staying in Miami. UPDATE: Associated Press reporting Wade takes one-year deal, $20 million
The Herald reports that Wade is looking for a three year deal in the range of $20 million per season, while Miami is looking to sign him to a new deal around $10 million per season if he opts out. Ideally the team wanted Wade to opt in at his $16 million player option and then sign back next summer to a below market deal. According to CBS Sports, Miami is looking to have room to sign Kevin Durant and other free agents in the future and they want to avoid "limited financial flexibility" as the cap rises over the next couple years.
Wade is looking for some security and he is coming into things looking to get more money now, as he has taken less in the past on multiple occasions. Wade took less money to help the team sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh and Pro Basketball Talk reports that he took less money for the team to keep Udonis Haslem. Miami has Goran Dragic on the market and they want to re-sign him to a max deal and on the horizon is Hassan Whiteside's new contract as well. Whiteside will be a free agent next year along with Durant and the Heat are interested in keeping him.
Wade has now made his decision and while returning to Miami is an option, he likely will take meetings with other teams. The team and Wade have met this past week to discuss the contract situation and Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst report that the two sides are "far apart" in talks about the future for Wade. If Wade opts out, teams like the Bulls, Clippers, Lakers, Knicks and Cavaliers will reportedly be interested in signing him.
Wade averaged over 20 points per game last season and according to Marc Stein, the Cavaliers would be open to signing him if they lose Kevin Love, while the Lakers are also a fit. Stein reports that the Lakers and Wade have "mutual interest" and that could be an option if he leaves Miami. All of this could be a way for Wade to call Miami's bluff to see if they will let him leave, but as things stand now, Wade looks like he will hit the market. If Wade takes meetings with other teams, Miami may have no choice but to let him go if he gets offers higher than what Miami is willing to do.
