# Update: Wade plans to sign with Chicago



## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

> Dwyane Wade's initial contract discussions with the Miami Heat have not produced a common ground between the parties, and he is preparing to field outside offers when free agency opens Friday, according to league sources.
> 
> 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. Some teams have been skeptical, wondering if Wade would seriously consider leaving the franchise where he has played 13 seasons and won three titles.
> 
> ...


Link


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

Would be surprised if he left Miami.


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

The annual "will he or won't he" Wade discussion.

I'd be shocked if he bailed. Surely not.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/749019507029602304
Sunday is the meeting with Durant. Think by next week all will be clear.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

On his show today, Ethan Skolnick said that he heard the figure the Heat offered Wade and was looking to confirm was much lower than he thought it would be.

Now Woj reports that the 1st offer was $10 million a season. Wow


> The Heat's initial offer of $10 million annually – which would've constituted a 50 percent pay cut from his $20 million 2015-16 salary – deeply angered Wade, league sources told The Vertical. Even with the Heat planning to counter to a higher figure, league sources said, Wade has been insistent on starting to explore the market and meet with teams once he returns from an overseas vacation, league sources said.


Link

Solomon Hill, who averaged 4 points last season, got 4 years/$50 million. And the Heat offered Wade $10 million? Hard to blame, Dwyane.


Think that number rises significantly after we meet with Durant and move on from that pipe dream.


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## AirJay (Aug 5, 2005)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*



Wade2Bosh said:


> On his show today, Ethan Skolnick said that he heard the figure the Heat offered Wade and was looking to confirm was much lower than he thought it would be.
> 
> Now Woj reports that the 1st offer was $10 million a season. Wow
> 
> ...


I think as much as people talk about lack of player loyalty and blah blah blah in the context of how much the Heat are paying Dragic and Whiteside it is a huge slap in the face to the face of the franchise to start the bidding that low.

I would expect him to resign for something in the 15-20 million dollar range once KD makes his non-Miami choice.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

Wade was incredible in the playoffs but I would be shocked if he can maintain anywhere close to that level of play next year. Losing him would be hard for the fans but emotions aside I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing for the Heat for the next 2-3 years. I'm pessimistic about the Bosh situation so if they do lose Wade and Bosh to retirement I think Riley will just tank next year and attempt another quick rebuild that will take about 2 years.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: 2016 Heat Offseason Thread*

Lebatard breaking some Heat news:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750042385095200769
And Tim Reynolds confirms a few minutes later:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750043356546277377
Interesting that LeBatard and Reynolds got the news at the same time.

According to Ira, Wade wants more years.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*










Ok, this makes more sense. The $10 million a year thing was extremely low and a slap to the face.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750487181207097344

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750488359269642240


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

Let Wade walk. Collect your lottery pick. Trade it next summer. Turn up July 1, 2017.


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## Adam (Jan 28, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

I think the Heat would win 50+ games without him.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*



Adam said:


> I think the Heat would win 50+ games without him.


With Dragic/Richardson/Winslow/McRoberts/Whiteside? Or are we assuming here that Miami uses Wade's cap space to make trades


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

I think he's assuming Bosh plays under that scenario. Certainly that team above aint winning more than 30.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*



Wade County said:


> I think he's assuming Bosh plays under that scenario. Certainly that team above aint winning more than 30.


I hate tanking as an overall approach, but for Miami it might not be the worst move. I think the best move for Miami might be to continue to develop Richardson + Winslow and see what happens in free agency 2017 when the cap goes up again. That's what I figured this summer's Durant meeting was about, but the GSW FA surprised me


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

There's like 4 or 5 player sunder contract right now. Whatever happens with Wade, I dont see the Heat being a better team than they were the previous year. And that is the issue. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750525096801013760
2yrs-$52 million is the Nuggets offer according to Woj.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750544053176066048


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*



ATLien said:


> I hate tanking as an overall approach, but for Miami it might not be the worst move. I think the best move for Miami might be to continue to develop Richardson + Winslow and see what happens in free agency 2017 when the cap goes up again. That's what I figured this summer's Durant meeting was about, but the GSW FA surprised me


The other thing to consider is we actually own our 1st rounder next season. 2018 is owed to Phoenix, and so is 2020 from memory.

So if Wade does leave, not the worst strategy to tank it out for a year - develop Winslow and Richardson, nab a top 5-6 pick and reload with a buttload of capspace next year...but it'd suck seeing Wade rock around in a friggin Nuggets jersey of all places.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750448401230262273


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

^ Yep, that's the reality. Pat betting heavy that we can reload in 2017 and dump a mid teens/early 20's pick to Phoenix in 2018 - and I guess we all just hope for the best in 2021...unprotected picks scare the shit out of me. Do not want an Otis Thorpe scenario.


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## Adam (Jan 28, 2003)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*

Whiteside, Richardson, and Winslow are our core and our future. Goran led the league for most of the 2nd half of the season in +/-. He needs the ball in his hands. I want Wade back but not for a Kobe deal, and if him leaving lets us keep TJ that's probably better for the Heat in the long run.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750780606934548480


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750829311838519296
This came out after the meeting with Micky. Not looking good for a return.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750862014772371456

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750862514540253184Money is gonna end up being nearly the same. And that's not even including state tax.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: Wade open to testing Free Agency*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750863038505418752
Ugly end to an era. Best player in Heat history and best athlete in South Florida sports history leaves over a contract dispute.


As awful as this is, giving up a 3rd year would have crippled this franchise for years.


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

My heart is literally exploding right now.


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## JT2 (Jul 4, 2016)

holy smokes... so much for the "loyalty" angle Riley tries to sell players.


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

Legit feel numb and shattered. Wade is the Heat...this hurts on so many levels.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

2 years/$47 million from the Bulls. So he left for $7 million more. 


JT2 said:


> holy smokes... so much for the "loyalty" angle Riley tries to sell players.


Not much more that could be done without adding a 3rd year and pretty much saying goodbye to Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and any type of contending for years. 

There's a line that just cant be crossed or else you end up in a Kobe/Lakers situation.


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## JT2 (Jul 4, 2016)

Wade2Bosh said:


> 2 years/$47 million from the Bulls. So he left for $7 million more.


but he gave up $25 mil over the course of years to help them win. and make no mistake while he did get rings from it, winning helps teams increase their value

Arison screwed him on this, so he and Riley can no longer try and sell the "family" angle to players, its all false.

they are no different than any other team.

for you guys though as fans, it sucks to see this happen. at least CHI has red in their uniform.



Wade2Bosh said:


> Not much more that could be done without adding a 3rd year and pretty much saying goodbye to Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and any type of contending for years.
> 
> There's a line that just cant be crossed or else you end up in a Kobe/Lakers situation.


also wouldn't the cap rising help you guys? or no. even if not that Riley is a smart guy, very creative with the deals. he could've finagled something. speaking of the Kobe/Lakers, they still had max contracts to offer, nobody wanted to come because they sucked. and because they sucked, they were able to land young talent, and rebuild. so them paying him back for trophies earned was a calculated move.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750869461020839936
Confirmation from Tim Reynolds. Pretty much Wade's go-to reporter.

:hibbert:


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

^ Never thought you'd have to change the 'Wade' part of your nickname W2B.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

JT2 said:


> but he gave up $25 mil over the course of years to help them win. and make no mistake while he did get rings from it, winning helps teams increase their value
> 
> Arison screwed him on this, so he and Riley can no longer try and sell the "family" angle to players, its all false.
> 
> ...


No one screwed anyone. He took pay cuts for one person and that person was Lebron. He then opted out of a bigger deal to open up more money for Lebron and Lebron instead left. He also made most of it back last season when the Heat gave him almost double what any other team could have offered him at the time. 

Both sides are to blame, imo. Heat made the mistake to put so much emphasis on the Durant meeting when seemingly everyone thought they had no shot to begin with. And only after that meeting did they offer all the cap space available to him.

Wade is to blame for causing such an ugly public fight with the Heat as they were trying to make the team better by adding a player like Durant. Yes, it was a long shot, but became impossible once he was having public issues with the front office before that meeting ever took place.

If that 2yr/$40 million dollar deal was offered at 12:01 am July 1, I think he's still here.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750870955535192064
#ofcourse


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750874739221102592


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## JT2 (Jul 4, 2016)

Wade2Bosh said:


> Wade is to blame for causing such an ugly public fight with the Heat as they were trying to make the team better by adding a player like Durant. Yes, it was a long shot, but became impossible once he was having public issues with the front office before that meeting ever took place.
> 
> If that 2yr/$40 million dollar deal was offered at 12:01 am July 1, I think he's still here.


Wade was having those same issues last year but they took care of him, and did it quickly. this is on management, and their handshake now stab you later level of trustworthiness, but I'll let it go because it sucks to see this type of thing from my perspective.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

Wade favorited this on twitter a little bit ago


> Kevin @Teevin_
> Okay the difference is $5 million. Everyone chip in a dollar a year. For just 8¢ a month we can keep Wade. @DwyaneWade @MiamiHEAT


Makes it seem like it was purely about money.


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## Adam (Jan 28, 2003)

I flame my coach and my owner a lot but today all the Heat management team made a brave decision. Glad they didn't cave to Wade's demands at the cost of the team. The Heat will be better because of their choices.


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## JT2 (Jul 4, 2016)

Wade2Bosh said:


> Wade favorited this on twitter a little bit ago
> 
> Makes it seem like it was purely about money.


they owed him $25 mil man...that's a lot of money.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750876322415538176Wade and Rondo on the same team. That will be interesting given their history. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/750885825185976322Havent looked at next years free agent class, but it is good that a lot of teams are spending a lot of cap space this summer.


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## Adam (Jan 28, 2003)

It's kinda sad that it came to this. Wade could have been part of the recruiting team pitching Durant to come to Miami, and the Heat holding Wade's Bird rights were always planning to give him money far more than just the next two years. He sabotaged that plan. He made his powerplay and dug his heels in and demanded that the Heat pay him now, so the Heat looked at it and judged the costs and said, "No." It's a shame because I truly believe the Heat would have paid him a Kobe deal at the end, it was just the Heat wanted to sign Durant this year and then do it. Wade decided he wasn't waiting. 

I don't think this breakup had to happen, but hopefully both sides can be happy going forward. I've consistently maintained that Wade was the largest impediment to us playing a modern style with pace and space, and I think the Heat will be better going forward. Have to see what the Heat's contingency plan is for this free agency.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

> Dear Miami,
> 
> This has been an extremely emotional and tough decision to come to. After 13 years, I have decided to embark on a new journey with the Chicago Bulls. This was not an easy decision, but I feel I have made the right choice for myself and my family.
> 
> ...


Link


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## Adam (Jan 28, 2003)

He has an option next year. I look at that Bulls roster and I don't see anything other than a complete disaster, so Wade could probably be a career three team player in just a year. That's the sad thing, to lose the chance to retire as a one team guy and go out like some veteran mercenary. Retiring from one team is something very few great ones have done. I think he's going to regret this choice and the reason for it will seem small.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

Doubt he opts out of that much money. Not after this.


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## AirJay (Aug 5, 2005)

Adam said:


> He has an option next year. I look at that Bulls roster and I don't see anything other than a complete disaster, so Wade could probably be a career three team player in just a year. That's the sad thing, to lose the chance to retire as a one team guy and go out like some veteran mercenary. Retiring from one team is something very few great ones have done. I think he's going to regret this choice and the reason for it will seem small.


Sad sad day for this long-time Heat fan but best wishes to both sides. I think both sides will look back on this in 10 years and shake their heads that it came to this. 

Wade had the best chance of any current NBA player not named Dirk or Duncan of retiring as a single-team player. Not sure who is left that would fit that mold. Maybe Lillard or Curry but both so young who knows what happens.


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

*Dan LeBatard's article* on Wade leaving. As always, a good one. Bolded Riley's text to Dan


> South Florida watched him grow up, from the kid who needed student-loan help for his kid’s diapers at Marquette to an international icon. Saw him get divorced, write a book about fatherhood, marry a Hollywood starlet, become a businessman. We saw him age before our eyes, from a baby-faced, fast-twitch acrobat who could get 25 free throws in an NBA Finals game to a savvy, slower killer who finished the last season Charlotte played.
> 
> This ending, though, it feels like watching your kid trip and fall off the graduation stage. Miami tried to keep him. But not enough for his liking, clearly, and not enough to mortgage its future to repay him for his past. Riley talks a lot about family, but the mafia is a family, too, and the godfather wasn’t going to handcuff his flexibility to do his job in the future by tying himself emotionally to an aging star whose percentages are all in decline. This wasn’t about money, rest assured. Chicago gave Wade approximately $47 million, but Miami’s $41.5 million final offer (all its remaining salary-cap space) was about the same once you throw in Florida’s lack of state income tax.
> 
> ...


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## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

This one stings, man. I anticipated this to happen, but when I saw the Woj tweet my stomach dropped a bit. So many memories provided by Wade.

While it's a sad day, I can't knock him. Everything he's done for this Franchise and fan base, Wade deserves all our applause and adulation.

Thanks for all you've given this team and the fans, D. Wade!!


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## Bogg (May 4, 2009)

AirJay said:


> Wade had the best chance of any current NBA player not named Dirk or Duncan of retiring as a single-team player. Not sure who is left that would fit that mold. Maybe Lillard or Curry but both so young who knows what happens.


I assume we're not counting Tony Parker and Manu. Maybe Marc Gasol. He's 31 and has four years left on his max deal. Had Conley left I could have seen them trading him, but with Conley and Parsons on board it doesn't seem like a stretch for him to play out his max deal as the man in the middle there and then maybe ink one more veteran deal before retiring. Could even throw Mike Conley in there too - he's got 9 years in with Memphis and just signed a five-year deal. Might be too young though, at 28 he's got a while ahead of him. Beyond that: maybe Derozan in Toronto, although he seems like a guy who could bounce around in his thirties. Kawhi?


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

What reason would Steph have for leaving Golden State? He might ultimately turn out to be a one-franchise guy with 3 or more championships.


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## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

5 mistakes occurred to lose Wade in the process:

1. Sign Bosh for max;

2. Sign Gragic for max;

3. improbable pursuit of Kevin Durant

4. declaring Whiteside their top priority in free agency, not respect Wade;

5. not planning to win it all this year.


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## AirJay (Aug 5, 2005)

Bogg said:


> I assume we're not counting Tony Parker and Manu. Maybe Marc Gasol. He's 31 and has four years left on his max deal. Had Conley left I could have seen them trading him, but with Conley and Parsons on board it doesn't seem like a stretch for him to play out his max deal as the man in the middle there and then maybe ink one more veteran deal before retiring. Could even throw Mike Conley in there too - he's got 9 years in with Memphis and just signed a five-year deal. Might be too young though, at 28 he's got a while ahead of him. Beyond that: maybe Derozan in Toronto, although he seems like a guy who could bounce around in his thirties. Kawhi?


Yeah, Parker and Manu are good examples although I guess I lump them in with Duncan. Marc Gasol is a good one, but wasn't he technically a Laker and not drafted by the Grizzlies? Conley I could see but it seems veteran players would rather bounce around then retired, can't say I wouldn't do the same in their shoes.



RollWithEm said:


> What reason would Steph have for leaving Golden State? He might ultimately turn out to be a one-franchise guy with 3 or more championships.


I hope so, but he is so young (28) that we have no idea what the future holds.

By the way does anyone think Riley's text (besides content) is stylistically hilarious? Why does he write like a 16 year old girl?


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

Ethan Skolnick on his show just said he texted Wade last night "Done?" and Wade responded "they didnt even fight".


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

> Dwyane Wade distributed a private letter Thursday to Miami Heat employees a day after he decided to leave for the Chicago Bulls in NBA free agent. The Sun Sentinel has obtained a copy, which follows:
> 
> "To My HEAT Family:
> 
> ...


Link


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/751170008592502784


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## Wade2Bosh (Mar 31, 2004)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/751611872789426176


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