Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat president Pat Riley were at an impasse about Wade’s contract. The star guard believed he deserved to get paid for the sacrifices he made in the prior years. Riley, however, did not want to dish out a huge contract that would affect the team e.g. Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Wade decided to look elsewhere and the Cleveland Cavaliers were one team that wanted him, but there was one major issue.
Wade’s former teammate and close friend, LeBron James wanted him on the Cavs but they couldn’t make it work.
“We couldn’t afford him,” James said. “It’s that simple.”
Wade eventually signed a two-year, $47 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, going back to his hometown like LeBron went back to his. The Cavaliers, well above the salary cap with LeBron, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson all signed to long-term deals, couldn’t afford Wade. All they could offer Wade was the taxpayer midlevel exception, worth about $3.5 million; they ended up using the MLE to retain Richard Jefferson.
“Who wouldn’t be interested in a Hall of Famer?” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, referring to Wade’s likely spot in the Hall. “That don’t even make sense. Yeah, we wanted him.”
In the end, things worked out for Wade because he’ didn’t just go to Chicago to play basketball, he wants to make a difference in the community he grew up in.
“My purpose for being back in the city is bigger than basketball,” Wade said last month. “Basketball is a big part of it, of course. It’s what I do for a living. But I think my purpose at the end of the day is hopefully to come to Chicago and be a part and be the voice that can help bring people together.”
source: ESPN
