LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are expected to have a meeting of the minds similar to the powwow that brought them together prior to determining what to make of the opt-out option each of them has in their contracts this summer.
It’s been well-documented the three not only met but somewhat coordinated their movements in 2010 when all signed with Miami, setting the Heat on their current path toward potentially becoming the first team in nearly 20-years to win three consecutive NBA titles.
“I’m at a position where I don’t really have to worry about it,” Wade told ESPN. “I’ve been with the same organization for now 11 years. We’ve won multiple championships, so it’s no reason where I need to think about that yet. I’m not at a point where we are a bad team and I need to think about the future so right now I’m really focused on just enjoying this team, enjoying our quest to try to ‘three-peat.’ And when the season is over, and whatever happens, then I will sit down and I will sit down with Chris and I will sit down with Bron and I will sit down and make the best decision for myself and my family.”
Bosh has previously hinted he suspects that at least he and James will stay in South Beach beyond this summer, simply answering “true” to a reporter’s recent question of whether he expects the pair to return next season.
“As players, you only have so much time and you only have so many moments where you have the ability to control your own fate, so it’s not a bad thing at all if that’s what someone is thinking,” Wade said of the thought of taking advantage of the opt out clause. “I haven’t had that conversation with Chris. I haven’t had that conversation with Bron.”
A career-long member of the Heat, who also won a title with the team in 2006, Wade took less than the max deal he could have surely netted four years ago to re-sign with the Heat and make their current good fortunes possible.
The Hall of Fame bound veteran guard could conceivably earn as much as $42 million over his next two seasons in Miami, but, like in 2010, many expect the Heat to try to convince the trio to star for less in the name of playing for more, namely the chance for more NBA titles.
ESPN adds otherwise the Heat are poised to become the first team in league history forced to pay the new “repeater tax” that would potentially triple or quadruple luxury tax penalties from their rates when the Big Three signed in 2010. In recent years, aging stars such as Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan have used opt-outs clauses in their contracts as a means of lowering their annual salary to help their teams deal with tax issues while getting more guaranteed years in return.
