Dwyane Wade took to his personal Instagram account Tuesday to announce the he will indeed remain with the Miami Heat:
Brian Windhorst of ESPN later confirmed the news:
As implied by Dwyane Wade’s tweet, his new deal with Heat has been finalized and he expects to sign as soon as today, sources told ESPN
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 15, 2014
While full details of Wade’s new contract have not yet been released, it will be a two-year deal with a player option after the first season. It is expected to pay him anywhere from $15-17 million per season.
Regardless, the 31-year-old Wade will take at least a $5 million pay cut after opting out of the two years and $42 million he had remaining on his previous contract with the Heat last month. He also signed for less money in the summer of 2010, helping the team bring in star free agents Chris Bosh and LeBron James.
Despite missing 28 games last season with multiple knee injuries, Wade proved that he could still be effective when healthy, averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. He also shot a career-high 54.5 percent from the field.
In the wake of LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami has managed to still put a nice roster together, giving Chris Bosh a five-year, $118 million deal, signing forward Luol Deng to a two-year, $20 million contract, and adding key pieces in free agents Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.
With James gone, however, the Heat can not afford to keep Wade on a maintenance plan next season, as he will undoubtedly have to play a much larger role if the team hopes to contend for a title.
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Main Photo by USA Today Sports Images.
