Dwyane Wade Agrees To Two-Year Deal With Heat
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As the Miami Heat continue to build up their roster in the aftermath of LeBron James moving back to Cleveland, the next thing on their to-do list was to get Dwyane Wade under contract.
The Heat announced the signings of Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger on Monday and have struck deals to bring back Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen. Miami also reached an agreement with Luol Deng over the weekend.
Miami's busy week of dealing continued on Tuesday as the Heat have reached an agreement with Wade on a two-year contract, according to ESPN. Wade will have a player option for the second year.
"Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago," said Heat President Pat Riley in a statement released by the team on Tuesday. "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. This time is no different. I am ecstatic to have him back in the fold and I am confident that Dwyane, as always, will be leading this team as we look to contend for NBA Championships."
Wade also made the announcement in his own way, posting on his Instagram account that he would be a "Heat lifer."
The deal will likely be for around $15 million per year. Wade had previously opted out of the final two years of his last contract, which would have paid him $42 million, in order to give the Heat more flexibility with signing free agents.
His new deal, while paying around $5 million less per year, will still afford Miami the same flexibility in the coming years.
Despite a sub-par NBA Finals, Wade is coming off of a very productive season. Granted, he only played in 54 regular season games but his offense was very efficient. Wade shot a career-high 54.5-percent from the field while helping the Heat to its fourth straight Finals appearance.
After a season in which Wade's health played a major role in his day-to-day availability, expectations are that the 11-year NBA veteran will be at full strength for the upcoming season and have plenty left in the tank for what will undoubtedly be a bigger role in the post-LeBron era.
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