In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Chris Bosh has agreed to remain with the Miami Heat on a five-year, $118 million contract.
It was widely assumed that Bosh would sign with the Houston Rockets after LeBron James announced he was returning to Cleveland. The Rockets had already offered Bosh a max contract and clearly have a more talented roster than the Heat now that LeBron has moved on. However, the Heat stepped in almost immediately after the LeBron’s announcement on Friday and made Bosh an aggressive offer.
The Rockets could offer Bosh no more than four years and $88 million, so he’s better off taking the deal with Miami for financial reasons. As a bonus, Bosh will also now be the star of the show. Dwyane Wade is aging and he would have been the third biggest star in Houston behind Dwight Howard and James Harden.
Bosh has already won two championships with the Heat, and it’s not like he will ever be compared to someone like Tim Duncan. He has said in the past that he loves Miami, and who wouldn’t love it for five years and $118 million? He’s not chasing rings.
Woj also reported that the Heat are now pushing hard to complete a deal with Dwayne Wade, who has been garnering some interest from the Chicago Bulls.
As for what the Rockets will do, we’re guessing they will now turn their efforts toward Carmelo Anthony. Houston has already agreed to trade Jeremy Lin to the Los Angeles Lakers to clear cap space, so they have money to spend. It may be too late to land Carmelo, however, who is reportedly deciding between the New York Knicks and Bulls.
