Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are embroiled in a sticky contract situation.
It’s quite simple—the Heat want Wade to exercise his $16.1 million player option for the 2015-16 season, while Wade wants to be paid more with a longer commitment from Miami.
The veteran shooting guard has until June 29 to decide whether he will opt in or opt out of his current contract. Reports have indicated that Miami has offered him as little as under $10 million a year on a new contract, while sources have cited that Wade would “welcome” $20 million a year on average.
The 11-time All-Star is undoubtedly the greatest player in franchise history. He has helped bring three NBA championships to a franchise that hadn’t even advanced to an NBA Finals before he was drafted in 2003.
While it’s true Wade is a living legend, the NBA is a business and if the Heat want to be back in championship contention in the near future, the 12-year veteran will have to realize he won’t be earning anywhere near $20 million a year from Miami.
Here are 10 reasons why Wade should take a pay cut on his new contract whether that is this year or next offseason:
1. Age
“Flash” is 33 years old and clearly not the superstar he once was.
During the 2006 NBA Finals, Wade literally put the rest of the Heat squad on his back in leading the franchise to its first championship. In the dark years of the franchise from 2008 until 2010, he carried rosters with very little talent to the postseason while leading the league in scoring.
It’s 2015 now, and it’s been a good three years since Wade has been an upper echelon player in this league. Elite players get paid $20 million per year, and the reality is that Wade is no longer in that category.
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