When Dwyane Wade opted out of his contract, many were unsure whether he would return to Miami or not. It looks like Wade wouldn’t mind sticking around… if the Heat will pay up, that is.
From Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Wade is pursuing a max contract with the Heat, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Heat GM Pat Riley said last week that the team wants Wade to return. If Wade does return, he would be playing next to point guard Goran Dragic, who the Heat re-signed to a 5-year, $90 million deal.
Wade wants big money, and the Heat has to decide if they want to give it to him. Wade, at age 33, has aged remarkably well. Last season he put up per game averages of 21.5 points, 4.8 assists. 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. Not bad for a guy his age. However, Wade played just 62 games. That’s where Wade is at right now. He won’t play every age, but when he does play he still looks like an All-Star.
Wojnarowski later reported that the Heat and Wade are in talks for a multi-year deal:
Free agent Dwyane Wade and Miami are progressing in talks on a likely multi-year deal, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2015
We don’t know whether that deal will be the max that Wade coveted, but I sort of doubt it. Wade has always been loyal to Miami, and he’s been an enormous part of that franchise, but the team has to be smart. I’m not sure if it’s a smart move to give a max deal to a 33-year old who will likely only give you 50-60 games a year.
The Lakers are also reportedly interested in Wade. However, with the presence of Kobe Bryant, D’Angelo Russell, and Jordan Clarkson, that would be a lot of guards. However, the Lakers want to assemble a win-now team, given the age of Kobe. They could role out some 3-guard lineup including Russell, Wade, and Kobe. However, given that the Heat and Wade are already in talks, it looks like the Heat are the frontrunners to sign Wade.
