NBA Rumors: Heat might ditch Dwyane Wade, sign Carmelo Anthony
By Sam Richmond
With the news that Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem opted out of their contracts on Saturday, it seems more likely than ever that Miami’s Big Three era will continue next season and for years to come. The current belief is that Wade, Haslem, LeBron James (who opted out previously) and Chris Bosh (expected to opt out) are working with each other and Miami’s front office for the four of them to re-sign with the Heat this summer on contracts that gives the team flexibility to add additional valuable players.
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However, it appears ESPN’s Chris Broussard believes that there is the possibility that such a plan doesn’t come to fruition and Miami instead decides to create a different Big Three.
Should be noted that @Chris_Broussard on my show today said there is a chance Riley/Heat walk away from Wade and go after Melo.
— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) June 28, 2014
With all due respect to Broussard, this seems extremely unlikely to occur. If Wade opted out under the assumption that the Heat would take care of him, and Pat Riley and co. turned around and betrayed him, Miami would be doing themselves an enormous disservice.
The Heat are known as one of the most trustworthy franchises in the NBA, and doing that to Wade would erase all credibility around the league and to other players, which would hurt Miami’s ability to land free agents in the future.
Also, the Heat would be stabbing in the back the franchise’s greatest player, the guy who holds the majority of important team records, the guy who played a crucial role on three championship teams and the guy who helped convince LeBron James and Chris Bosh to come to South Beach in the first place.
There are many crazy NBA rumors floating around these days, and this one may top them all.