Dwyane Wade is one of the few remaining household free-agent names who has yet to lock up a team for the 2018-19 season. News about what NBA team the Miami Heat guard and future Hall of Famer will suit up for next season has been scant. Of late, the biggest news surrounding Wade has come in the form of talk of a potential offer from a team in China.
On Tuesday, that talk changed a bit as the site Sportando reported (via Twitter) that the Zhejiang Golden Bulls have offered Wade a “monster” three-year, $25 million deal to play in China.
The MONSTER OFFER is on the table.
Zhejiang Golden Bulls offered a contract to Dwyane Wade:
Three years
$25 Millionhttps://t.co/bCQ7IxMkre— Sportando (@Sportando) July 24, 2018
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel points out that this “monster” offer Wade received truly isn’t that big when compared to the payday the Heat guard was seeking just two summers ago.
Three days after the report of such an offer for Wade to continue his career with a shift to the Chinese Basketball Association, a report by a journalist in China has the offer from the Zhejiang Golden Bulls to Wade at $25 million over three years
As a matter of perspective, Wade sought such a figure for a single season during his ugly 2016 free-agency departure from the Heat to his hometown Chicago Bulls.
The Heat, who are operating above the NBA salary cap, are limited either to an offer of the $5.3 million taxpayer mid-level exception for 2018-19 to Wade or the $2.3 million minimum salary for a player of Wade’s 15-season NBA tenure.
Saturday’s report out of China, where Wade was conducting his annual tour for his Li Ning-branded sneaker line, had Wade being contacted by the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
A variety of former NBA players have suited up for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls over the years, including Eddy Curry, Jarnell Stokes, Mike James, J.R. Smith, Kirk Snyder, Ivan Johnson and others. The Heat have been relatively quiet in free agency this summer, re-signing guard Wayne Ellington and swingman Derrick Jones Jr.
Per Winderman, the Heat have three open roster spots for 2018-19, enough to accommodate Wade, Udonis Haslem and another player. In mid-June, Wade said he wanted stay with the Heat if he did end up playing in his 16th NBA season. Last season, Wade averaged 16.3 points on 44.3 percent shooting in the Heat’s first-round playoff elimination by the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 28 points in Game 2 and 25 in Game 4.
Shortly after being traded to the Heat, Wade told ESPN in an interview that he wanted to be with the Heat ‘forever’ and that he did not want a Kobe Bryant-like farewell season.
It was an encouraging finish individually, after Wade had averaged 12.0 points with 40.9 percent accuracy in the 21 games he played after being dealt from Cleveland at the February trade deadline.
