That whole idea that Miami Heat lifer Dwyane Wade was potentially using other teams as a way to create negotiating power in free agency might actually be a false narrative.
According to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, other teams around the Association have made multi-year offers to the future Hall of Fame guard.
Rival teams starting to take Dwyane Wade's free agency seriously, w/ GM's telling @TheVertical they've made multi-year offers to his reps.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2016
Wade, who has found himself on the free-agent market in each of the past four years, seemed to be a lock to return to Miami for a 14th season just a couple short weeks ago.
That all changed when Miami made it known that Hassan Whiteside was going to be its off-season priority.
Now that the Heat have signed the center to a max contract worth roughly $98 million over four seasons, the possibility Wade might actually leave South Beach has increased a great deal.
Executives from rival teams now expect to chat with Wade on the phone Friday to gauge his interest in actually bolting Miami.
While we can conclude that Wade ultimately leaving the Heat is a long shot, it’s no longer a foregone conclusion that he will finish his career where it started.
Wade, 34, put up a solid 2015-16 campaign, averaging 19.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field.
Pure conjecture here, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that both the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in the future Hall of Famer.