While Wade has never played for the Bulls, he has certainly played his hometown team.
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“I’ve played on eight teams since college – from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China”, Whiteside wrote on Players’ Tribune. “I’m not ready for their to be a ninth”.
Wade’s re-signing with the Heat was deemed a foregone conclusion until an ESPN report stated earlier this week his talks with Miami stalled. Whiteside previously met with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, his current team. Windhorst added that “Wade’s representatives have made it known to multiple teams over the last several days that he will be on the market”.
According to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Whiteside’s options were narrowed down to either the Mavs, Portland Trail Blazers or the Miami Heat (his incumbent team) entering Friday’s free agency. “Your dedication and hard work to the game has finally paid off”.
This is the second straight year Wade has threatened to leave, and last year he ended back up with the Heat after a brief, peaceful showdown.
No word yet on contract details but the Heat retain a valuable asset and will continue to move forward to attract free agents, including their own, with Whiteside locked up. If Miami strikes out on Durant, it should have sufficient money to meet any contract demands from Wade. He was named NBA Finals most valuable player in 2006 when the Heat rallied to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in six games and he was named the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in 2010. They’ve started a GoFundMe page to get another $10 million in Wade’s pockets so he will stay with the team. They already have their top free agents circled in Memphis’ Mike Conley and Miami’s Hassan Whiteside.
On his Snapchat video announcing the decision, someone asks Whiteside, “Hey cuz, where you gonna sign?”
He has signed one-year contracts in each of the past two summers.
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A source tells SNY.tv now that the Knicks are out of the running for Kevin Durant, they will focus their attention on Wade and have set Wednesday as a tentative date for a meeting.
