The Heat agreed to a four-year, $98 million deal with center Hassan Whiteside on Friday and also is purusing Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant and has a meeting scheduled Sunday with Durant.
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Unrestricted free agent Hassan Whiteside told at least one Heat teammate earlier this week that he was staying in Miami, according to AP writer Tim Reynolds.
“I’ve played on eight teams since college – from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China. I’m not ready for there to be a ninth”.
Wallace reports that Whiteside will also meet with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers soon after the league lifts its ban on teams contacting free agents at midnight EDT tonight. Recalling in the past years, Dwyane Wade sacrificed his salary and took pay cuts in order to help the Miami Heat manage their salary cap. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on 790 AM the Ticket in Miami that Wade’s representatives have been reaching out to other teams to gauge their interest in the 12-time All-Star.
The report said the Heat have informed Wade they will up their offer, but he remains intent on testing the market. Wade did the same thing in last summer when he used the Bulls as leverage to get a one-year, $20 million contract from the Heat.
With the salary cap up to $94 million this season, other teams are offering Wade $20 million a season, according to The Vertical.
Wade’s ability to not just score, but to do so without needing flawless passes from his teammates can turn him into a quality signing for many teams.
“We’ve had a few down years out of my 13 years here but for the most part we stay pretty competitive and we stay pretty darn close”, Wade said. But Mavericks’ fans probably dislike Wade more than any player in the National Basketball Association besides DeAndre Jordan, who shunned the Mavericks last summer during free agency.
The Spurs though are not the only team being considered by Wade.
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Players might be more inclined to take a two-year deal with a player opt-out after a single season to make even more money.
