The Miami Heat has been eliminated from the 2015-16 season after a gallant stand that saw them losing both Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside.
The key to the Heat's resiliency has been, without a doubt, Dwyane Wade who dispelled all accusations that he is "washed up." Wade showed a firm will to win but it can't be avoided that his free agency is an extra motivation.
The Heat front office will have their hands full dealing with their own free agency dilemma, not to mention their stated intention to pursue Kevin Durant. How will they resolve all this? Pat Riley knows he must set his priorities (and his payroll) in order and Wade should be at the top of his list. Is he?
ESPN Insider discussed the Dwyane Wade situation extensively with their panel of experts.
Wade is at the crossroads of his career where he will decide whether he will be Dirk Nowitzki/Tim Duncan-who are players who sacrificed their own personal paychecks in order to keep their team competitive, or Kobe Bryant who remained the highest paid player in the league until the end of his career which, in effect, limited his team's chance to acquire free agents.
Tom Haberstroh suggested showing this contrast to the Heat superstar and work with him to chase another title. "Sign him for $12 million and sell him on lesser burden, longer career and more total money." Haberstroh suggests.
But will Wade agree to this? Yaron Weitzman of SB Nation reminded that Wade already declared his resistance to this idea last year, and Miami "temporarily soothed him with a one-year, $20 million deal, but that only kicked the can down the road to this year."
The problem is that Miami might not even be able to offer $ 20 million for Wade. In the recently concluded Raptors series, he proved he was still the heart and soul of the team capable of competing against younger guards like DeMar DeRozan. It should be noted that most other teams have cap space to offer a max contract and Wade just sold himself as a target.
Weitzman notes that "it's hard to imagine Wade playing in any city other than Miami and it's hard to see Miami letting him shake loose." But Pat Riley will not let that keep him from building a competitive team. If Wade will not work with the Heat and use a higher offer as leverage, the Heat may call his bluff.
David Thorpe of ESPN imagined a scenario where Wade would choose to play somewhere else. "If he wants to go elsewhere, tell him, 'When you are ready to retire, we will sign you for one day so you can retire here, and on that night we will raise your jersey to the rafters. This is Wade Country forever.'"
While it might seem unthinkable for Wade to leave the Heat, other legendary players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing had to pack their bags from the team they were identified with through trade requests (MJ had a different narrative). It did not tarnish their legacy too much nor will it stop their original teams from giving them proper reverence. In short, both sides would try to avoid Wade's departure, but it's not impossible.