NBA Free Agency: Dwyane Wade

As free agency is upon us, the most settled superstar appears to be Dwyane Wade. By all accounts, he is satisfied in Miami and is looking to cement his legacy there. Unlike some of the other stars on the market, he has already won a title with his current

2010-07-07

As free agency is upon us, the most settled superstar appears to be Dwyane Wade. By all accounts, he is satisfied in Miami and is looking to cement his legacy there. Unlike some of the other stars on the market, he has already won a title with his current team. Nevertheless, he is perhaps just as important as any individual involved in free agency. With the impending free-for-all, he is looking to leverage his superstar status and team’s success to help Miami acquire players who can return them to the glory of their 2006 NBA title. The possibilities abound and anything can happen in this most unpredictable of periods.

Perhaps the juiciest scenario is that Wade would corral the other two top free agents. It has been confirmed that Wade met with Chris Bosh and LeBron James in Miami about potentially joining forces. This would create a preponderance of talent the likes of which is hard to fathom or find comparison. In Wade’s favor is the fact that these three have already demonstrated that they can play together and not let their egos get in the way. As teammates on the 2008 American Olympic team, Wade willingly came off the bench and the team won the gold medal. Also, James and Bosh both come from comparatively small markets and Miami is the type of glitzy market where their marketing opportunities and brands could grow. However, external sources have some concerns that the three could coexist throughout the duration of an entire NBA season. Wade and James have similar styles that are predicated on penetration and getting to the basket. Considering Wade willed his team to a championship before and has been with Miami for the duration of his career, the other two may be concerned that he’ll be the one getting the ball in clutch situations.

However, the Heat has perhaps the one coach who could help diffuse this situation: Pat Riley. Although Riley is currently in the team’s front office, it’s believed that he’d return to the bench for a chance to coach James and Bosh. Riley’s coached multiple championship teams in the past and has had to deal with outsized personalities before: most recently with Wade and Shaquille O’Neal in 2006, which was a great year for NBA betting on the Heat.

Riley would also need to figure out how to surround the big three with role players. In an attempt to create enough salary cap room for three maximum free agents, the Heat have jettisoned all but two of their players, a dicey proposition. Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley are good players but if everything went right and James and Bosh joined Wade in Miami, they’d still have a roster to fill without significant money.

Also, there is the very distinct possibility that one or both of these players won’t want to sign with Miami. James seems to be driving all the decisions in this year’s free agency and there will be a domino effect no matter what he decides. Some believe that James and Bosh are a package deal so if James decides to go to a team like Chicago, Bosh may follow him. In that case, Miami would have to look at the next tier of players.

Fortunately for Wade and the Heat, that next tier is laced with all-star caliber talent. A possibility that seems to be gaining steam is that Miami would pursue Amar’e Stoudemire if neither James nor Bosh work out. Stoudemire is a perennial all-star at center, and he would create a dymanic inside-outside duo with Wade. If this were to happen, the Heat would need to decide if they’d pursue another high-end free agent like Carlos Boozer or Joe Johnson, or try to use the rest of their cap room to build around Wade and Stoudemire. Considering that players like Boozer or Johnson may not actually be worth the max contracts they’ll likely command, the latter option seems more prudent.

It’s really difficult to decipher how this will all turn out. In the end, it seems that everything will likely be predicated on James; right now, his three most likely destinations appear to be Cleveland, Chicago, and Miami, with a seemingly different frontrunner every day. No matter what, Heat fans can be thankful that Wade will likely stay and continue to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

Are you getting ready for the upcoming NBA season? Head over to www.sportsbook.com the home of NBA betting.

NBA News

Click here to read latest NBA news