Dwyane Wade, HEAT Agree to One-Year, $20 Million Deal

Dwyane Wade and the Miami HEAT have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $20 million contract, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. The reported deal will allow Wade to become a free agent again next summer and take advantage of the salary cap rising.

Wade was reportedly seeking a max deal for one year or a multi-year deal that would have paid him less money per season, but give him long-term security. The short-term deal will allow the HEAT to have cap flexibility next summer and eliminate any long-term risk with Wade’s health as he’s set to enter his 13th NBA season.

News of the deal effectively ends any speculation that the relationship between Wade and Miami’s front office was strained. Initially, the HEAT were accused of low-balling Wade as they negotiated a deal. Wade was even said to be considering leaving the only franchise that he had ever known if a deal couldn’t be agreed upon. Now, it’s clear the two sides are on good terms and he’ll remain in Miami for at least one more year.

The HEAT faced two major priorities this summer with both Wade and Goran Dragic becoming free agents. They agreed to a new deal with Dragic yesterday worth a reported $90 million over five years before taking care of Wade on Thursday. The two players represent a big portion of the team’s promising core.

In addition to Wade and Dragic, the team will also have Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Hassan Whiteside and rookie Justise Winslow on the team next season. With Wade and Dragic returning to the team, the HEAT figure to return to the playoffs next season after narrowly missing the postseason in 2014-15.

Now that the team’s two main offseason priorities have been taken care of, they can now move on to other necessary moves. The HEAT have been linked to free agent LaMarcus Aldridge as it was reported by Yahoo! Sports Thursday afternoon that they will meet with Aldridge.