Not many people envisioned Dwyane Wade finishing his career in a place other than Miami, and that includes LeBron James.
In a recent chat with ESPN for the “Sunday Conversation,” Wade was asked if his close friends LeBron James and Chris Paul shared their thoughts on the veteran guard’s situation with the Heat when he was still negotiating a new contract. Simply put, LeBron and CP3 could not believe the Heat let it get to the point where Wade was a free agent.
“They were in disbelief that I didn’t have any deal that I wanted,” Wade said. “Bron always said when we were in Miami, he always said, ‘D-Wade is going to be like Kobe. He’s going to get that Kobe deal.’ So I think their disbelief was, ‘Why are you even a free agent? You shouldn’t even be.'”
A lot of people asked that same question, especially with Wade coming off a very productive season where he basically carried the Heat in the playoffs. Unlike Kobe, D-Wade is not completely broken down. He could conceivably have two or three good seasons left in him, but Pat Riley did not want to pay fair market value to keep the most important player in franchise history.
Basically, this seems like Wade’s way of indirectly saying the Heat did not treat him fairly. When you read some of the reports we shared with you when the negotiations were ongoing, it’s hardly a surprise Wade feels that way.
