For the second summer in a row, Dwyane Wade and the Heat are engaged in a contractual tug-of-war, but the 13-year vet says he hopes to be back in Miami next season.
That being said, Wade will use rival teams for leverage in negotiations with the only franchise he’s ever played for.
The 34-year-old fully expects teammate Chris Bosh to suit up in 2016-17.
Per the AP:
Now comes the tough part — Wade and the team figuring out how to make that a reality. It took a $20 million contract this past season to keep the relationship going for a 13th year; it won’t come cheap this time either. While it’s obvious that being a free agent means Wade will have opportunities with other clubs, and he is more than prepared to listen — as was the case last year — his ideal scenario remains staying put. […] “Hopefully, if everything goes well this summer for this organization and for myself, we’ll give ourselves another chance,” Wade said before leaving for vacation.
He has had talks with the Heat already, since they didn’t have to wait for July 1 to engage with their own players. Miami will also be busy trying to retain Hassan Whiteside and lure Kevin Durant, but keeping Wade is also very high on Heat President Pat Riley’s list of offseason priorities. […] The Heat know what Wade wants in terms of money and roster; in turn, Wade has a general sense of how the team will proceed when the league’s annual player shopping spree opens at 12:01 a.m. Friday. And the team’s social media accounts Tuesday were clearly trying to appeal to Wade, posting videos, quotes and stats that all paid tribute to what he did this past season when he averaged 19 points and 4.6 assists in what was another All-Star campaign.
Wade said he “100 percent” expects Bosh back. “I have no doubt in my mind,” Wade said. “I’m not a doctor. And even the people who are around, no one knows what Chris has gone through and how this is going to shake out. I hope that’s back and doing it with me, doing it with UD, doing it with an organization that he won two championships in. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be back and he’s going to be Chris Bosh.”
