NBA Free Agency 2014: Five reasons LeBron James should leave the Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade will have opted out of $40 million for nothing

Imagine a friend asking you to decline a significant amount of money in hopes that the two of you can continue working together in hopes of conquering something bigger. And when you do so, that friend jets leaving you far less fortunate than you were before with the ability to “conquer” off the table.

That’s basically what LeBron James will have done to Dwyane Wade is he leaves the Miami Heat. Don’t get it twisted. Wade is still going to get paid whether he remains as the lone face of the Miami Heat or decides to chase a ring Clyde Drexler style. Some team would be perfectly fine with offering Wade a contract worth $10 to $15 million just off reputation and what he provides in the 56 games he’ll play in a season. But that’s far from the $40 million Wade declined when he exercised an early-termination option in hopes of appeasing LeBron James.

The irony in it all?

Wade has his championships, three to be exact. There’s no more he can do to his legacy and with his body wearing down after years of physical play, we’ve pretty much come to accept Wade for what he is and who he’ll continue to be. He’s highly thought of as the third or fourth shooting guard of all time, obviously behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, tussling it out with Jerry West for that third spot. We’ll never forget his efforts in the 2006 NBA Finals, referees be damned. His book has been written, but in hopes of helping a good friend improve on his legacy, Wade may have missed the opportunity to cash in before retiring.

It’s cold out here. Real cold.