Miami Heat: Could Dwyane Wade Want Input On Roster?

To label Dwyane Wade‘s ongoing contract negotiations with the Miami Heat as surprising could be in the running for Understatement of the Year. But the franchise has, at least according to reports, been caught off-guard by Wade’s demands.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: The NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time

As recently as mid-April, Wade had confirmed that he wouldn’t be exercising the player option on his current deal with Miami, one which was expected to pay him approximately $16.1 million this upcoming season. Less than a month later, the Miami Herald broke news that Wade would not only opt out of his contract but would be seeking more money and the security of a three-year deal.

Part of the surprise is that Wade has always played the role of a “good soldier” in the Heat organization, a loyal follower of team president Pat Riley and a practioner of his winning culture. He has taken smaller deals on more than one occasion, saving the team millions in the process. He’s never expressed any unhappiness with the organization, at least not publicly, and it was he that first put the phrase “Heat Lifer” into the social media vernacular.

This could explain the team’s great surprise that things have reportedly turned sour between the Heat and their franchise player.

Wade’s issues with the team could merely be financial ones. He’s never been Miami’s highest-paid player, taking the back seat (at least contractually) to Shaquille O’Neal, Shawn Marion, Jermaine O’Neal, LeBron James and Chris Bosh at varying points during his 12-year tenure. He seems poised to do so again with Bosh poised to make over $23 million next season and with Goran Dragic expected to command a salary around $20 million as a free agent.

However, that’s never appeared to be a concern for Wade as his previous sacrifices would indicate.

If there’s anything else in play, another reason for his alleged displeasure with the Heat, perhaps it’s a need to have some say in personnel decisions, in shaping the roster that might help him compete for a title before he retires.

Just as money has never been an issue (again, at least publicly) neither has having input on the roster. Wade has typically been hands-off with team management and isn’t as avid recruiter as other superstars have been. It’s never really been a necessity, as Riley and the front office have always surrounded him with Hall-of-Fame level talent.

But a recent report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst indicates that James, one of Wade’s closest friends, is expected to be a key part of Cleveland’s roster assembly moving forward:

"“With the ability to opt out of the two-year deal he signed with the Cavaliers last offseason, James must now decide just how much he wants to influence the Cavs as they enter a summer full of uncertainty and potentially massive spending……Welcome to the modern NBA, where James doesn’t just control every facet of the game, he controls every facet of the organization.Ideally for the Cavs, James would come into his exit meeting with strong opinions: Sign this guy at any cost; don’t worry about this guy; try to keep this guy, but don’t break the bank.”"

Could Wade expect the same kind of multiple roles (as de facto coach and general manager, as well as star player) in Miami that James enjoys with the Cavaliers?

It wouldn’t be surprising if that was the case, as it was rumored that Riley’s handling of two roster changes might have led to James’ departure from Miami. The waiving of Mike Miller and trading Joel Anthony reportedly did not sit well with James.

Neither Miller nor Anthony was a key component of the team but they both had played their part during the Heat’s multiple runs to the Finals. And while Wade never criticized the team, it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider that he wasn’t happy with the moves either.

So while history doesn’t provide much insight into Wade’s thinking, perhaps one simply has to take a leap of faith that he’d like a more significant role in defining his remaining life in the NBA. Players often claim they want to leave the game on their own terms — not succumbing to injury but choosing to retire while they can still be productive. Part of that is being a member of a winning team and if Wade would like a hand in building that (as James would with the Cavaliers) that doesn’t seem unusual.

Riley, for his part, has shaped the team to have an incredible amount of salary cap space entering next offseason, when teams will reportedly have much more money to sign players. It’s his vision, albeit one that Wade might not necessarily share.

There’s no way of knowing for sure what Wade wants. That particular revelation will only happen when he re-signs with the team or goes to play elsewhere. But giving him the same commanding voice with Miami as James has in Cleveland could be the only way of ensuring that he remains, ironically, a “Heat Lifer.”

Next: 30 Best Shooting Guards in NBA History

More from Hoops Habit