Report: Dwyane Wade likely to opt out of contract, take discount
The Miami Heat are going to need to improve their roster if they want to compete for a championship (or at least beat the West) and if this news is true they’re headed in the right direction: The NY Daily News says Dwyane Wade is expected to exercise his early-termination option, becoming an unrestricted free agent in the process.
"Dwyane Wade is likely to opt out of his final two seasons, at $41.5 million, and probably accept a deal from the Heat worth $50 million-$55 million over four years to help the team open up cap space."
There were many who thought Wade would opt into the remainder of his deal, especially considering there were $41.5 million reasons to do so, but doing so would’ve did more harm than good for the Miami Heat. For one, it would’ve shown that Wade had little interest in building a competent team or that he’s aware of his glaring deficiencies. It also may have deterred LeBron James from re-signing with the organization because of the short-sighted move from Wade, leaving Wade stuck with a mediocre roster for the latter end of his career.
More from LeBron James
- LeBron James, Giannis, Damian Lillard all want that Mbappé money
- We finally have the worst LeBron James take of all time, and it’s glorious
- Bruce Brown takes shot at Lakers, LeBron James after cashing in
- LeBron James confirms the obvious about retirement in fiery ESPYs speech
- The new NBA flopping rules explained
If true, the Heat will now wait on a decision from James and Chris Bosh. If those two make a similar decision, the Heat will have an excess of cap space to improve areas that were exposed in the playoffs, mainly the point guard and center position. There has been a reported interest in Kyle Lowry. Carmelo Anthony remains an option–an unlikely one though. Surely players will take pay cuts to play with them a la Shane Battier, Ray Allen, and Chris Andersen.
If Pat Riley does his usual magic, the Heat may be back ready to win another championship, possibly in a better position than they had been the previous years.