Less than a week after LeBron made his departure from South Beach back home to Cleveland, Dwyane Wade officially re-signs with the Heat. Although the terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, sources close to the situation report that Wade signed for two years with an option for the second year.
Wade’s decision to sign with Miami for an additional two years shows his commitment and dedication to the franchise whom he won three championships with.
Wade released a statement shortly after his decision.
“I am proud to have spent every single day of my career as a member of the Miami Heat and to have brought three championship titles to this great city.”
Heat team president Pat Riley also released a statement. “Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago. He has shown his commitment to the Heat many times over the course of his career and has always been willing to sacrifice in order to help build this team into a champion.
The Miami Heat have made significant free agency moves this offseason which could have influenced Wade’s decision to stay put in South Beach.
With the re-signings of Chris “Birdman” Andersen, Chris Bosh, and Mario Chalmers along with the acquisitions of Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts, and Danny Granger to offset the departure of LeBron James, the Miami Heat could ultimately be contenders in the Eastern Conference Finals and perhaps beyond.
At 32, Wade may be past his prime and dealing with knee issues that kept him sidelined last regular season for 28 games. However, that does not mean he cannot still be the effective vocal leader that he has been for the past ten years.
Wade essentially took a $5 million pay cut by opting out of his contract to become a free agent in June. His opting out cleared some cap space and paved the way for Bosh’s max contract of five years, $118 million and Deng’s two-year deal worth $20 million.
Photo Credit: Thisis50.com
Follow us on Twitter @hiphopenquirer
