3:39pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced via press release.
“Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago,” team president Pat Riley said in the club’s statement. “He has shown his commitment to the Heat many times over the course of his career and has always been willing to sacrifice in order to help build this team into a champion. This time is no different. I am ecstatic to have him back in the fold and I am confident that Dwyane, as always, will be leading this team as we look to contend for NBA Championships.”
1:54pm: It’s a two-year deal with player option in the final season, sources tell Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who expects Wade’s salary for this season to come in between $16-17MM (Twitter link).
1:08pm: Dwyane Wade is indeed set to re-sign with the Heat, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (on Twitter), confiming Wade’s Instagram post suggesting that a deal is done. There was little doubt that Miami and the Henry Thomas client would strike an agreement, and the Heat made a strong push to retain its longtime star in the hours after LeBron James returned to Cleveland.
Wade opted out of the final two years and $41.819MM remaining on his deal last month in an apparent effort to squeeze more talent on the roster and convince James to re-sign, but it’s unclear just how much Wade will receive on his new contract. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com estimated that he’d receive a salary of $15MM for the coming season.
Wade, 32, appeared in only 54 games during the regular season this year as knee injuries took a larger toll. He was still an all-around force when on the court, averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds and compiling a 22.0 PER. He was seventh in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.
The Bulls reportedly gauged Wade’s interest in a deal that would allow him to play in his native Chicago, but he rebuffed them. Miami has become in many ways a second home for the perennial All-Star who’s played only for the Heat during his 11-year NBA career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Would of love to see him with the Bulls but glad he stayed in Miami. Always nice to see a guy start and finish his career with one team
So let me get this straight… Wade opts out of his contract that would have paid him ~42M over the next two seasons.
Then re-signs with the team for a 2 year contract worth ~$34M???
He willingly gave back ~$7-8M? Hahahaha LOL…. Wade either got screwed by LeBron and Riley or he’s stupid OR Both…
Dwyane Wade will remain part of the Heat organization long past his playing career
Probably but thats $8M he’s not going to see in the future… If you’re going to have bad knees for the rest of your life, you should get as much as you can…
thats on him for removing his meniscus in college
i dont know if wade could of got 15 mil on the open market this year .. chicago probably would of low balled him…
we all knew Wade was not going to leave Heat… like I said… i can’t believe the Heat didn’t take care of him long-term…
im sure they will take care of him … maybe wade thinks he is going to get healthy and have a bounce back year and he will get another big contract … cause he sure was not gonna get one based off his play this past season.
How much money do you make,Smart Guy?
Dont know what that has to do with this conversation…
I thought for sure the Heat would give him more money over more years (lower the AAV) to make up for the fact that Wade was willing to opt out of his deal to help broker a LeBron return. I was expecting 4 year 52M which would pay Wade $13M per year and reward him long-term for staying with the Heat while also giving Heat flexibility to make other signings.
I can’t understand why Wade signed this deal. He didn’t get any long-term security or any more money. Simply put, it was not a smart deal across the board except that it allows the Heat to get away from Wade in 2 years.
But seeing Wade get screwed by his “best friend” and by his “heat family”makes me happy because Wade is a bad guy and a liar. But kool-aid drinking Heat fans wont see that.
It is, always has been, and always will be Wade County