Sekou Smith: "Re-Signing Whiteside Should Be Priority No. 1 For Heat"
NBA.com's Sekou Smith - writer & editor of 'Sekou Smith's Hang Time Blog' - joined Orlando Alzugaray on The Big O Show Wednesday to talk about the upcoming NBA free agency period, which opens July 1st, and what the Miami Heat will do.
Reports surfaced early Wednesday that talks between the Heat and three-time NBA champion guard Dwyane Wade "stalled" and that Wade, an unrestricted free agent, would be open to listening to offers from other teams.
"The leverage that a guy like Wade has at this point in his career is that he's built up such a body of work that you know you're going to get a high level of production from him," Smith during the interview. "But at 34, if you're the Heat, you're making [re-signing] Hassan Whiteside priority No. 1...you almost have to look at it as Wade being someone you deal with after you accomplish that."
The franchise had a rocky time trying to come to terms with Wade before the 2015-16 season. Ultimately, the sides agreed on a one-year, $20 million dollar deal - but now the 34-year-old star is seeking a multi-year deal with max money.
On the flip side, Miami is one of the six teams that were granted a meeting with marquee free agent Kevin Durant. Naturally, Durant would also garner a max deal and the Heat would have to get creative to make the salary numbers line up if it wanted to bring the former NBA MVP and scoring champion to South Beach.
Still, banking on Durant to come is still a risky move. Focusing their efforts on bringing back Whiteside or signing other free agents like Atlanta big man Al Horford or even Houston's Dwight Howard would be the more realistic option.
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