Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have not been given any guarantees Big 3 head honcho LeBron James plans to return to Miami next season, where the trio have combined to make four straight NBA Finals appearances and earn two titles.
ESPN reports both Wade and Bosh appear to be all in when it comes to making a return to South Beach while James has remained somewhat ambiguous about his thinking. In fact, one of the few things James has be willing to go on record in asserting is the fact that he wants and expects to net a max salary of around $21 million per season wherever he might elect to sign.
All three stars have already opted out of their Heat deals and some media outlets have reported both Wade and Bosh have expressed a willingness to perhaps take a lower salary to return to Miami, hoping the Heat will use the extra cap space from their pay cuts to recruit and sign other players.
As for James’ commitment to a South Beach reunion, at least up until this point, things don’t appear to be near as clear.
“It’s not a done deal,” a source told ESPN of his potential return. “That’s for sure.”
In opting out of the final two-years of their deal, Wade and Bosh left a combined $42 million on the table, though both now expect to sign larger deals spread over more years. Bosh is rumored to be seeking a deal worth between $80 million and $90 million while Wade is thinking along the lines of $55 million-60 million over four years.
After expressing early interest in guard Kyle Lowry before he elected to resign with the Raptors, the Heat are also rumored to have interest in Luol Deng, Caron Butler, Pau Gasol and Anthony Morrow.
The Heat also traded for UConn guard Shabazz Napier on NBA draft night late last month.
