No one in their right mind can envision Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade closing out his career with another team.
After all, the 12-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion has played his entire career in South Beach and will most definitely be linked to the organization long after he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame.
This doesn’t mean that Wade is going to take a low-ball offer from the Heat once free agency itself opens later this week.
Despite no previous indications that’s he’s prepared to move on from Miami, it is being reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that Wade will now entertain offers from other teams when free agency begins.
“Dwyane Wade’s initial contract discussions with the Miami Heat have not produced a common ground between the parties, which has the All-Star guard preparing to field outside offers when free agency opens on Friday, according to league sources,” the report read.
This is interesting for a number of reasons.
It’s possible that other NBA teams value Wade at a higher clip than the Heat. The 34 year old is coming off an impressive 2015-16 campaign that saw him average 19.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field.
With Hassan Whiteside acting as Miami’s top priority this summer, Wade could potentially find himself placed on the team’s back burner, at which point other offers might become more attractive.
In fact, the ESPN report does suggest that Wade’s camp has put this line of thinking out there.
“Sources told ESPN.com that Wade’s representatives have made it known to multiple teams over the last several days that he will be on the market, sources said.”
If this is the case, one has to expect the Cleveland Cavaliers and old buddy LeBron James to put a call into Wade. One would also suspect that the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets out west might be interested.
So while we can sit back and conclude Wade will be back in Miami next season, that no longer seems to be a complete lock.