Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade wants a fresh, new contract. Wade has spent his entire illustrious NBA career in South Beach, but now it’s been reported that the two parties don’t exactly see eye to eye in contract negotiations. In fact, they are quite far apart. Wade is looking for a contract that pays him around $20 million annually but it was reported that Miami offered him below $10 million. The guard took a hefty pay cut last summer and is expected to bank $16.1 million this upcoming season. Based off these facts, all signs point to the “heat lifer” opting out of his contract this summer and entering free agency.
Dwyane Wade is sure to have plenty of suitors throwing money at him this offseason and now one of those is expected to be the Los Angeles Lakers as first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. Obviously, on paper, that may not be the best fit knowing that Wade and living legend Kobe Bryant play the same position. Both players have been bruised and battered frequently over the past couple of seasons and no one knows just how much they have left in the tank. However, if you look deeper into the picture you can see how it may not be a total disaster. The Lakers have an inexperienced young core, built around players such as Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson. In addition to all of that, they also hold the #2 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. Bringing in another 12 year veteran such as Wade could only do good. And when or if you pair up these two great competitors you just know they’ll find a way to make it work.
The effect Wade leaving would have on Miami is devastating. Flash has been the franchise backbone for a long 12 years, leading the city and his team to 3 championships. Wade’s departure could also potentially have an impact on Goran Dragic’s willingness to stay in a Heat uniform. Center Chris Bosh will also be left thinking where all of this leaves him now after he decided to pass on a lucrative offer from the Houston Rockets last offseason to stick it out with Wade in Miami. Now if Wade leaves, the Heat may also have an unhappy Bosh on their hands, leaving plenty of backlash they would have to deal with.
This could all just be media driven drama and speculation. If this were to actually happen, the Lakers would have to be very short-sighted as this type of acquisition may hurt their level of success down the road. But it’s the big time Los Angeles Lakers we’re talking about here and they will do anything to become relevant again, even if it is this desperate. Who knows, maybe we will see two legendary shooting guards adjourning the same purple and gold jerseys come the start of the 2015-2016 NBA season.
