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Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat far apart in contract negotiations

By Cody Williams

Apr 13, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) takes a breather during the first half against the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) takes a breather during the first half against the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat aren’t seeing eye-to-eye in ongoing contract negotiations.

Dwyane Wade has been a member of the Miami Heat for his entire NBA career. While other superstars (Shaq, LeBron) have taken up temporary residence in South Beach during his tenure, Wade has always seemed like a Heat lifer – the fulcrum on a franchise of shifting pieces. However, for really the first time in his career, it appears as though both player and franchise are at odds.

Wade and the Heat front office are currently in negotiations regarding a new contract. An early report from Tim Reynolds said that the two parties had reached an “impasse” regarding contract talks.

A new report from the Miami Herald makes things sound much more dire, though, as Barry Jackson claims that Wade and the Heat are “far apart” in terms of numbers in contract negotiations.

Wade opted out of the last two years of a contract last summer, and in turn signed a two-year deal worth $31 million with a player option. The belief when he signed that contract was that Wade would opt-in in 2015, with hopes of signing a monster deal the following summer (2016) when salary cap figures jump as a result of the NBA’s new television deal.

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Now the case is that Wade is looking for a lucrative three-year contract. That deal would pay him big money until he is 36-years-old if terms were to be reached.

Wade appeared in 62 games last season and posted a career-low in minutes, as he played just 31.8 per game. However, he had a bounce-back season following the departure of LeBron James, at least in terms of production, putting up 21.5 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

What makes this situation regarding the Heat and the Wade particularly interesting is that Wade’s longevity has been brought into question the past couple of seasons. Though he can still be great in bursts, he can’t do it for full seasons or with the consistency that he once did. It’s not difficult to understand Miami’s apprehension about paying him for another three years. Will the output equal the price commanded?

Even with the impasse right now, there’s a full month before Wade must decide whether or not to exercise his player option. There’s a great deal of things that can happen before then and, if I had to venture a guess, Miami won’t be closing their doors to a guy who has helped bring the organization so much glory.

[SB Nation]

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