How do you feel about Wade leaving the HEAT?

[Dave Gray]

Just getting a feeling on how people are reacting...

[Fau Teixeira]

on one hand it sucks .. and i feel badly that i won't watch him next season

on the other hand, i'm really glad we didn't give him a kobe sized contract and handicap the team giving 50 mil to a 35 year old with bad knees

i'm way happier giving tyler johnson 4/50 than wade 2/40

[Spider-Dan]

Riley should have paid him.  That 50 mil isn't just about what Wade has done, or will do... it's about advertising to other teams that the Heat brass will take care of players that sacrifice their own pay for the team; this is exactly the reason the Mavs just paid off Nowitzki.  And you can't buy that kind of cred.

The next player that the Heat front office asks to take less money in the name of paying better free agents will look long and hard at how the Heat treated Wade.

[Dave Gray]

I don't think it's about money, though.  The HEAT offered 41.5/2 years, which is all their cap would allow, I think. Also, with no state tax, I think Wade actually made more to stay.

It was about Wade not being featured and built around, I think.  Respect for him.

I think that there is still bad-blood fallout from Lebron leaving and Wade not being involved in that.

[Spider-Dan]

Heat had Bird rights to Wade, so they could have signed him to a max deal if they felt like it.  Mavs went over the cap to re-sign Nowitzki.

[Phishfan]

There are also rumors that we need to look back to James leaving Miami. I have heard talking heads (I think it was Stephen A.) saying that behind the scenes Heat management felt that Wade knew all along James was leaving and he never spoke up. it seems the relationship was fractured and Wade just felt it was time to move on.

[Sunstroke]

I agree with Spidey on the Heat organization missing an opportunity to show some solid character.

I really don't have any problem with a veteran player wanting to end his career in his hometown. If Wade had gone to some team like Sacramento or Charlotte, teams with no chance of winning anything, just for a little extra cash...I likely would have thought a little less of him for that.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Wade did a ton for that team in terms of paycuts and they did not repay his loyalty. Looks very bad on the organization and you can bet the next time they ask a superstar to take a paycut, that guy will laugh in their faces.

[masterfins]

Steph Curry is earning $12M per year, so I don't see how $20M+ per year should be viewed as an insult.  Tom Brady is making $20M per year and IMO he is a much more valuable player for his team than Wade will be in the upcoming two years.

[Dave Gray]

There are also rumors that we need to look back to James leaving Miami. I have heard talking heads (I think it was Stephen A.) saying that behind the scenes Heat management felt that Wade knew all along James was leaving and he never spoke up. it seems the relationship was fractured and Wade just felt it was time to move on.

This seems true, from rumors I've heard, as well.

It's as if Wade knew Lebron was leaving and played coy and stayed out of it.  (Sided with Lebron over the organization.)  It's not terrible that it happened that way, but it was pretty bad that the HEAT didn't know about it and had no contingency plan.

Then, it came for Wade to be coddled and treated as family and the HEAT treated it as business.

I am not angry at either side, but I think the organization did the right thing.  I think the Bulls are foolish, but I'm also sad to see Wade gone.  I wish it had played out differently.

[Spider-Dan]

Steph Curry is earning $12M per year, so I don't see how $20M+ per year should be viewed as an insult.  Tom Brady is making $20M per year and IMO he is a much more valuable player for his team than Wade will be in the upcoming two years.

Steph is wildly underpaid (he's the 4th highest paid player on the Warriors) so he is not a good point of comparison.

[Dave Gray]

You just can't compare contracts signed in different years.

[Phishfan]

You just can't compare contracts signed in different years.

Especially contracts that are signed this year. The NBA bumped the cap so much that mediocre players are getting big money this offseason.

[Spider-Dan]

In particular, Steph signed his current contract when he was still struggling with ankle injuries and had yet to break out.  GS gave him a fairly generous contract because they believed he would improve, and it paid off for them big time.

He'll be a max player next year.

[DZA]

It sucks that he left for 7 million more.  I think he felt disrespected that he was not getting his pay day.  But to be on the HEAT side of things, they was not going to pay him KOBE money to cripple the franchise for 2 years.  Its sad to say, all the fans like "OH he deserves the money" which maybe True, but at the end of the day.  He's in the late of his career,   He is maried to an A-List actress in Gabrielle union,  He make millions in endorsements SO WAS THIS REALLY ABOUT MONEY!!!   

Im glad for the yyears  with the heat but  I follow the team and not individual players.  Thank you D-WADE ..  Funny You dont see Duncan or Dirk wanting more money at the latter stage of their careers.  These players these days always want to think about money and not building a team.