Time to re-up…
Today it was announced that Udonis Haslem decided to opt-out of his contract with the Miami Heat. Haslem absolutely wants to return to the Heat but wants security with a longer contract. The move was also to help Heat president Pat Riley’s master plan.
The reported plan is to have everyone opt-out and re-sign longer contracts with a smaller immediate payout. The pay cuts would help Riley revamp the team and add vital pieces they need to make another championship run.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh’s opt-out was announced as well. LeBron James opted out already which gives the Heat a whopping $55 million in cap space.
It appears Riley’s plan is very much being put into motion. We’ll just have to wait and see if they all return, and how much of a pay cut they’re willing to take if they do.
UPDATE:
As per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, LeBron James is seeking a max contract or something close to it, and according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Chris Bosh is seeking five-year deal worth roughly $15-16 million per year. James is eligible for a five-year, $130 million deal with the Heat. If both reports are true this definitely changes things.
Wojnarowkski is reporting that Wade, Haslem and Bosh are all willing to take less money and James’ priority remains to find a way to make a future work with Miami, but a failure by the organization toward improving the Heat’s roster to his satisfaction could send him aggressively into free agency.
There’s still hopes to bring in Carmelo Anthony albeit a long shot or Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors, a more viable option. Either way concessions will have to be made to revamp the team or a couple people might decide to walk away.
– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)
3 Comments
as a fan, i hope Melo doesn’t join Miami. not because i think they’ll be unbeatable but if they do that, where’s the fun in the league? marquee match ups? mvp front runners vs each other? smh