Reports: Multiple Teams In The Running For Dwyane Wade
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The heat is definitely on for Miami as multiple teams are reportedly in talks with Dwyane Wade.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks are the most recent teams to have contacted the veteran guard.
Dwyane Wade is in contract talks with the Knicks & Bucks and could schedule meetings next week, sources told ESPN.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 1, 2016
Knicks are in the market for a shooting guard and Wade has Milwaukee ties from time at Marquette.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 1, 2016
The news comes just a few hours after Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski had reported teams would begin courting Wade with the "belief his contract impasse with Heat has him considering move."
Sources: Rival execs expected to speak with Wade on phone today, armed with belief his contract impasse with Heat has him considering move.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 1, 2016
Some of the other teams in the running for Wade are the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.
The 34-year-old is from Chicago and had them on his radar in 2010. Obviously he stayed put as LeBron James and Chris Bosh brought their talents to South Beach. However, this time around, ending his career in his hometown could be an enticing proposition.
As for the Mavericks, they heavily pursued Hassan Whiteside and were looking like favorites to win the dynamic center's services. After losing out to the Heat in the Hassan sweepstakes, they could nab Wade in a revenge effort.
But in the end, it could all come down to the money Wade has sacrificed over the years to help the Heat have flexibility in trying to improve the roster.
And those sacrifices are coming back to haunt the Heat as a source told ESPN senior writer Ramona Shelburne.
Said a source close to Wade, "He wants to be compensated for his pay cuts" https://t.co/5u5yWzP20H
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2016
Wade wants the respect of a franchise player, considering he's been asked to embody their "Heat Lifer" marketing campaign, and he may not feel like he's getting that.
Wojnarowski reported the Heat's first offer came in at $10 million, which is half of what four other teams are offering.
Bulls, Mavericks, Nuggets & Bucks all offering Wade multi-year deals with salaries at $20M+, per The Vertical. Heat's first offer was $10M.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) July 2, 2016
At some point, you have to wonder if Wade wants the lifetime-achievement deal Kobe Bryant received from the Los Angeles Lakers for his final two years (nearly $50 million) or if he wants the Heat to keep trying to build a title contender.
