Vacating ‘Wade County’: Could Dwyane Wade Really Leave The Miami Heat?

Dwayne Wade is once again threatening to leave if the Miami Heat don’t give him the money he deserves. Will the Heat call his bluff?

There is an understood rule among gun owners: don’t point or pull out a gun unless you plan on using it.

Last year, this axiom was ignored as Dwayne Wade, face of the Miami Heat franchise, self-proclaimed “Heat Lifer,” and mayor of “Wade County” (a play on Miami-Dade County, where Miami is located), decided that the Heat were finally going to reward him for the many sacrifices he made on behalf of the team and pay him accordingly.

After a prolonged dance in which Wade threatened to leave, the Heat finally agreed to pay him a one-year, $20 million deal. Both sides seemed happy, and Wade put up a solid performance this past season as the Heat went deep into the playoffs.

He stayed healthy most of the season and put up numbers that reminded people why he was called “Flash.”

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Now that the new, exploding salary cap (which officially stands at $94.1 million for the 2016-17 season, with a salary floor of $84.9 million) is due to kick in on July 7 and comparable players agreeing to ridiculously large contracts, Wade understandably wants his piece of this super-sized pie.

He is seeking a much more expensive contract this time around, and has once again threatened to leave if he doesn’t get his due–which is more than $20 million per year.

It’s deja vu all over again–except it may not be.

Last year, Wade merely sat on a banana boat and pouted until the Heat caved.

This year, Wade’s on vacation again with the banana boat crew, but his camp has put out feelers to the San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and Denver Nuggets (there was talk of the New York Knicks being interested. but the Knicks dispute it).

The Bucks, Bulls, Nuggets, and Mavs are reported to have mutual interest–to the tune of $20 million per year on two- or three-year contracts. This is in response to the paltry offer of $10 million a year by the Heat, which–rightfully so–Wade took as an insult.

Let’s not forget that Wade took major pay cuts in 2010 and 2014 to form and maintain “The Heatles”: the super trio comprised of Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James.

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When James returned to Cleveland and Bosh got sidelined with life-endangering blood clots in his lungs, it fell to Wade to keep the Heat afloat.

They missed the playoffs in 2015, but came back strong this past season to make it to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they fell to the Toronto  Raptors.

Wade has left an estimated $6.7 million on the table over the past six years to help the Heat stay competitive, and has been the face of the only team he’s ever played for, which drafted him fifth overall in 2003.

He took a backseat on HIS team so that James could shine. He has battled through knee injuries and the encroachment of Father Time–Wade will turn 35 in January–yet still manages to give all that he has to the Heat.

It’s not a stretch that he expects his loyalty to be returned and compensated handsomely.

Instead, he gets a $10 million offer while the Heat agreed to max out center Hassan Whiteside–who is nearly young enough to be Wade’s son and has the relatively small sample size of two seasons with the Heat–and go on a long-shot chase after free-agent prize Kevin Durant.

[Fun fact: Whiteside’s four-year, $98 million dollar contract will make him the second-highest-paid player on the Heat, right after Bosh.]

Some say Wade’s contact with other teams is yet another ploy to strong-arm more money out of team president Pat Riley and majority owner Micky Arison and that Wade isn’t going anywhere: he loves Miami, as does his wife, actress Gabrielle Union.

But one can only hit an opponent for so long before that opponent starts to strike back.

Wade is coming into the twilight of his career and this is his last shot at a max contract, or something close to it.

Factor in his previous knee injuries and needing rest nights during the regular season, and you can see why the Heat may be a bit reluctant to pay a Mike Conley-type deal. But Wade still has something left in the tank and, if managed properly, can still be a valuable contributor to any team.

Wade made the 2016 NBA All-Star Team last year for the 12th straight time, and the 10th time as a starter.

He averaged 19 points a game this past season and 4.6 assists–a decline, to be sure, and comparable to his 2013-14 numbers–but his strengths lay in making plays for his teammates, including Whiteside and Luol Deng.

With the impending departures of unrestricted free agents Luol Deng (to the Los Angeles Lakers), Joe Johnson (to the Utah Jazz) and restricted free agent Tyler Johnson (to the Brooklyn Nets) for more cash-laden pastures, and the uncertainty of Bosh’s return this season, Wade would be needed to keep the young team going, as he has in the past.

The Heat shouldn’t expect Wade to take yet another discount, especially at this stage in his career. And Wade shouldn’t have to.

If Dwight Howard–who was much less productive than Wade over the past two seasons, despite their different positions, and not as important to the Houston Rockets as Wade is to the Heat–could command a three-year/$70.5 million contract, then it’s a no-brainer for Wade to earn as much, if not more.

The Heat, unfortunately for Wade, have only $20 million in cap space after Whiteside’s contract (they did not hold Whiteside’s Bird rights, so they couldn’t go above the cap to pay him).

Even if they traded key pieces like Goran Dragic, the Heat still need that money to fill the holes left by departing players and/or retain other unrestricted free agents–and the feeding frenzy borne of the increased league salary cap ensures that getting serviceable players will not be cheap.

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Plus, if the Heat decide to match Johnson’s

offer sheet

from the Nets, that’s going to eat into cap space, too.

Still, Riley has always had a knack for making a way out of no way–when it suited him.

There is always the option of Wade signing a minimum offer this year and cashing out next year in 2017-18, when the cap goes to an estimated $108 million, but … $1.6 million versus more than $20 million? Nope.

Wade wants his ends now, while he has a successful season as leverage. Who knows what might happen this upcoming season? The basketball gods are notoriously fickle, as are Wade’s knees.

As much as I enjoy seeing Wade in a Heat uniform, his pockets may be better served in a different locale. Loyalty only goes so far, and it has a price. The Heat, more’s the pity, seem to not to want to pay it.

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And Wade may be finally ready to pull the trigger.