Hall of Fame shooting guard Dwyane Wade is the most important player in Miami Heat history.
He led them to their first ever NBA championship in 2006, which was just his third season. He convinced LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join him in South Beach in 2010, which led to them winning two more titles. When he retired in 2019, he topped their all-time leaderboard in several categories, including games (948), minutes played (32,912), points (21,556), assists (5,310), and steals (1,492).
His impact was so great that, when he became a free agent, he expected the Heat to make him the priority. Instead, Miami was focused on signing Kevin Durant and re-signing Hassan Whiteside. Given Durant’s age and talent level, Wade probably wasn’t confused or perturbed by their desire to bring him on board. However, when they decided to commit more of their cap space to Whiteside than him, that was a different story.
Heat’s Dwyane Wade Reveals Reason He Left In Free Agency
“I opted out and my agent was getting sick around this time… I actually brought the Arisons into my home, like ‘Yo, let’s talk. We can negotiate this ourselves.’… I wanted (a) three-year deal (to) take me out. I wanted a certain amount of money and they wouldn’t do it. They wanted to be big players in free agency and they wanted to go after Kevin Durant,” Wade explains on Underground Lounge.
“We had Hassan Whiteside, a player that came out of the G League, who had a great year. But he was up for $100 million. I’m sitting here like, ‘I want young fella to get his money but y’all about to pay him over me? Take care of me first. Then, let’s take care of young fella. Because I’ve shown it. I’ve proven it. This is proven.’”
“And they didn’t do it. They didn’t get Kevin Durant.”
Respect Comes First
Because of the disrespect he felt from being treated like an afterthought, Wade entered free agency, eventually signing with the Chicago Bulls. There might not be a better indication of how strained his relationship was with the Heat –and namely president Pat Riley –than the fact that the difference in money was negligible.
Miami had offered him a two-year, $40 million contract. Chicago countered that with a two-year, $47 million offer. Due to Illinois’ state tax, he would’ve made about $44.5 million at the conclusion of the deal. Meanwhile, Florida has no state tax. $4.5 million is a lot of money, but it’s hard to believe it was the primary factor in Wade’s decision.
With that in mind, it’s worth noting that Wade signed a two-year, $31.1 million contract the previous summer. According to former ESPN reporter Michael Wallace, Heat owner Micky Arison was the person who “bridged the gap” and got Wade to sign the contract. However, according to Wade, he only signed the deal because other teams weren’t prepared financially for him to become a free agent.
All of that is to say that there was definitely trouble in paradise. Unfortunately for Heat fans, history would ultimately repeat itself with Jimmy Butler. After a drawn-out contract dispute that led to hard feelings from both sides, the six-time All-Star who led Miami to two NBA Finals appearances is no longer in Biscayne Bay. He’s now in The Bay Area, vying for a title with the Golden State Warriors.
For him, respect came first as well.
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