In this Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, left, Chris Bosh, center, and LeBron James pose with their championship rings during a ceremony before an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Miami. AP
MIAMI—Dwyane Wade has made his choice. Chris Bosh is still mulling his. Either way, free agency for the Miami Heat is shaping up as an absolute circus.
Wade told the Heat on Saturday he was opting out of the final two years and nearly $42 million in his contract, and will become a free agent on Tuesday — the same decision that LeBron James revealed during the week.
Also Saturday, Udonis Haslem told the Heat he will not pick up his $4.6 million option for next season. But Bosh was still weighing his options, agent Henry Thomas told The Associated Press (AP), after a miscommunication earlier in the day suggested the forward was already sold on the idea of opting out.
“Chris has not decided yet,” Thomas told AP later Saturday.
Strange as it may sound, the decisions by James and now Wade and Haslem are considered good for the Heat, since those three moves alone free up about $45 million in what would have been salary Miami was committed to paying next season. If Bosh opts out, that figure goes to $66 million, and the idea of not having that locked into the books gives Miami tons of flexibility to lure their stars back into new deals — plus have enough money left over to make additional roster upgrades.
“Dwyane has been the cornerstone of our organization for over a decade, and we hope he remains a part of the Heat family for life,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “Udonis has been the heartbeat of this team for 11 years. He has sacrificed countless times to make this organization successful, and he is the epitome of what this organization stands for.
“We look forward to meeting with Dwyane and Udonis and their agent in the coming days to discuss our future together.”
So now, all eyes turn to Bosh, who was part of the much-celebrated move Miami made four years ago to team up with James and Wade with the Heat. They’ve been together for four years, and have been to the NBA Finals in each, winning the title twice.
Regardless of what Bosh decides, midnight Tuesday — the start of free agent frenzy — will be busy for Miami. James and Wade could be wooed by plenty of suitors. James has already been mentioned as a target of the Los Angeles Clippers, the Chicago Bulls, the Houston Rockets — and, of course, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team for whom he spent his first seven seasons.
But things are already looking good for Miami, which got the rights to guard Shabazz Napier on draft night — and Napier just happened to be James’ favorite player in the draft.
Wade, James and Bosh all had deals with an option to become free agents either this summer or next. There’s obviously no guarantee that all or any would return to the Heat now, but it’s also hard to envision all three going their separate ways after making four trips to the NBA Finals together.
“I’m not dropping championship rings on the table for those guys,” Riley added, referring to his famous recruiting trick from 2010. “They can drop their own.”
Wade took a considerable amount of criticism this past season, first for missing 28 regular-season games — largely because of what the Heat called a maintenance program for his long-problematic knees — and then for struggling in the NBA Finals. Wade averaged 24.3 points in his first 11 seasons and is unquestionably the most accomplished player in Heat history, leading the franchise’s all-time lists in several categories.
Riley calls Wade “an icon” and remains sold on his value to a championship team, though acknowledges that at 32 and with plenty of injuries in his past, some continued evolution to his game — and perhaps his role — could be needed.
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