Wade to Sign Contract Extension With Heat

[nashtymavsfan13]

Playoff MVP Wade to sign contract extension with Heat: report

AFP
July 4, 2006

MIAMI, United States (AFP) - Dwyane Wade, the most valuable player of the 2006 NBA finals, has reached an agreement on a five-year extension worth over 80 million US dollars with league champions Miami Heat.

Wade, who led the Heat to their first National Basketball Association title last month, is expected to sign the deal on July 12, the first day that teams can sign free agents and finalize contract extensions, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on Tuesday.

"We're on the same page," Wade's agent Henry Thomas said.

The precise value of the deal will not be known until next year since it will be connected to the 2007-08 salary cap.

Wade, who averaged 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds as the Heat claimed the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, already is under contract for the next season, making 3.8 million dollars under his rookie deal from 2003.

Without the extension, the 24-year-old Wade would become a free agent following the 2007-08 season.

However, Miami do not appear to want that to happen as they pitched an extension offer about two weeks after the conclusion of the season.

The fifth overall pick in 2003, Wade averaged a career-best 27.2 points and 6.7 assists in 75 games during his third regular season.

The guard raised his level in the postseason, pushing his scoring output to 28.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Wade, Heat working on extension

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
July 3, 2006

MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are working on a five-year contract extension, with the hope that a deal will be struck before the MVP of the NBA finals leaves for USA Basketball's summer training camp later this month.

Wade is eligible for a deal worth about $80 million; the exact value of the extension, much like the one agreed to by Carmelo Anthony with Denver and the one offered to LeBron James in Cleveland, will not be known until the salary cap for the 2007-08 season is set.

New contracts cannot be signed before July 12. Wade is expected to report to practice with the U.S. world championships team in Las Vegas on July 19.

There is no real urgency on either side; he is under contract for next season with the Heat, who will defend their first NBA championship. Without the extension, Wade would become a free agent after the 2007-08 season.

But the Heat -- who quickly made their extension offer -- almost certainly are not going to let that happen. Wade's agent, Henry Thomas, said he and the Heat are engaged in "very positive" talks.

"Both sides will work towards a signed extension prior to Dwyane leaving for practice," Thomas said. "I don't know if that will be on the 12th, and there is no agreement in principle at this time."

Wade has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Miami, reiterating that again Monday during a visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando, where he and teammate Udonis Haslem donned Mickey Mouse hats and were grand marshals of a Heat victory parade.

Wade also arranged for 100 underprivileged South Florida children to board Orlando-bound buses and spend the day with him and Haslem at the theme park.

Other than coach Pat Riley saying that getting Wade to agree to an extension is Miami's top offseason priority, the team has not commented on the negotiation process.

Wade was the fifth pick in the 2003 draft, and his rise to stardom was quick. He averaged a career-best 27.2 points during the regular season, making 49.5 percent of his shots, plus averaging 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per night.

In the playoffs, he was even better, averaging 28.4 points -- and 34.7 in the NBA finals, when he led the Heat past the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

"I have confidence that it's going to get done," Wade said.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Report: Wade to sign five-year extension with Heat

July 4, 2006

MIAMI (Ticker) - It apparently did not take the Miami Heat long to reward Dwyane Wade for leading them to their first NBA title.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on Tuesday that the Heat and Wade have reached an agreement on a five-year extension worth $75-$85 million.

According to Wade's agent, Henry Thomas, the NBA Finals MVP is expected to sign the deal on July 12, the first day that teams can sign free agents.

"We're on the same page," Thomas told the newspaper.

The value of the deal will not be known until next year since it will be connected to the 2007-08 salary cap.

Wade, who averaged 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds as the Heat claimed the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, already is under contract for the next season, making $3.8 million under his rookie deal from 2003.

Without the extension, the 24-year-old Wade would become a free agent following the 2007-08 season.

However, Miami does not appear to want that to happen as it has pitched an extension offer about two weeks after the conclusion of the season.

The fifth overall pick in 2003, Wade averaged a career-best 27.2 points and 6.7 assists in 75 games during his third regular season. The 6-4 guard raise his level in the postseason, pushing his scoring output to 28.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting.

[u2sarajevo]

You have to sign Mr. automatic free-throw taker to an extension whenever you can.

[dude1394]

Just think how many free throws they would be missing out if they didn't resign the next jordan.

[MightyToine]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

You have to sign Mr. automatic free-throw taker to an extension whenever you can.

Waah! Waah!! Waah!

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by MightyToine

Waah! Waah!! Waah!

It's true though.

[Rick41]

Originally Posted by MightyToine

Waah! Waah!! Waah!

Denial toine?

[sike]

good sign. I wonder if Wade will get those calls for the rest of his career....or was it just a "Lets Screw Someone" type of thing?

[DalMavs]

At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, NBA's got to realize that it's embarrassing to have your top star being a documented serial flopper.

Originally Posted by sike

good sign. I wonder if Wade will get those calls for the rest of his career....or was it just a "Lets Screw Someone" type of thing?

[sike]

Originally Posted by DalMavs

At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, NBA's got to realize that it's embarrassing to have your top star being a documented serial flopper.

I would love to be so optimistic.

[fluid.forty.one]

I would think it would be bad to be the laughing stock of basketball fans around the world, but who knows?

[dude1394]

So what other swingman uses the glass like wade does? I've always wondered why more didn't use it? Everytime he was able to utilize it he seemed to make that shot.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Yeah, I've never seen someone bank as many shots as Wade does. It seems to work well for him.

[MightyToine]

Originally Posted by nashtymavsfan13

Yeah, I've never seen someone bank as many shots as Wade does. It seems to work well for him.

Only other player I've seen do this is Duncan so It's nice to see...


Oh and what do I have to be in denial for? Okay...I DENY THAT THE HEAT WON A TITLE.....








....

........


...............Sorry but no matter how hard I try, the Image of the Heat celebrating a Championship on Dallas's homecourt keeps coming up.

[Knickfan]

Just think how many free throws they would be missing out if they didn't resign the next jordan.

The refs didn't have anything to do with those mid range jumpers he was draining in everyone's mouth who guarded him though. Can't say the refs guided those shots in the hoop.

[DalMavs]

Yes and no. If the jump shooter knows any defender has to constantly worry about what the ref might do if he got too close or appeared too aggressive, that's more confidence and advantage than a good shooter needs to become a great shooter.

Originally Posted by Knickfan

The refs didn't have anything to do with those mid range jumpers he was draining in everyone's mouth who guarded him though. Can't say the refs guided those shots in the hoop.

[sike]

Originally Posted by Knickfan

The refs didn't have anything to do with those mid range jumpers he was draining in everyone's mouth who guarded him though. Can't say the refs guided those shots in the hoop.

you are a basketball genius.

[MightyToine]

Originally Posted by sike

you are a basketball genius.

That's probably not Isaiah then....

[Knickfan]

Yes and no. If the jump shooter knows any defender has to constantly worry about what the ref might do if he got too close or appeared too aggressive, that's more confidence and advantage than a good shooter needs to become a great shooter.

Well that effects the defender, but that doesn't really effect the shooter. The shooter STILL has to make the shot regardless of how the defender plans on defending him. Regardless if someone is going to come and run at him or not, you still have to hit the shot and Wade hit PLENTY OF THEM.

you are a basketball genius.

Never claimed to be a genius, I just call it like I see it. I saw Wade hit a bunch of jumpshots too, regardless of what the refs were calling.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Knickfan

Well that effects the defender, but that doesn't really effect the shooter. The shooter STILL has to make the shot regardless of how the defender plans on defending him. Regardless if someone is going to come and run at him or not, you still have to hit the shot and Wade hit PLENTY OF THEM.

47% as a matter of fact. Higher than any starter (not counting diop/shaq) except Jason at 48%.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Knickfan

Never claimed to be a genius, I just call it like I see it. I saw Wade hit a bunch of jumpshots too, regardless of what the refs were calling.

I agree which is why it was such bs that he went to the line so much. For all the talk of him going to the rim, what did we find out in this series? That dwade can hit a mid range jumper. What do you have to do to hit a midrange jumper? Shoot midrange jumpers. What can you not be doing if you are shooting midrange jumpers? Going to the rim relentlessly. And with that my friends i am done with this argument.

[nashtymavsfan13]

LeBron, Wade take shorter deals now, hope to earn more down the road

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer
July 12, 2006

Fear not, Cleveland and Miami fans. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade say they expect to be with your teams for a long time.

For now, though, four more years is all the superstars will commit to.

Classmate Carmelo Anthony went for more guaranteed money.

New contracts for the class of 2003 players were announced Wednesday, the first day allowed after the NBA's moratorium on deals ended. But they weren't all the big-money packages that were originally expected.

Rather than choose the five-year extensions they were eligible for that would kick in starting with the 2007-08 season, James and Wade went for three years with an option for a fourth -- and the chance to become free agents sooner and potentially make even more money.

"It was a great business decision by me," Wade said. "As a young player, going for the three-year with a fourth year (option) is the better option."

Anthony and Chris Bosh of Toronto, also top-five picks from the '03 draft, could have gone the same route. But Anthony went for a five-year deal with Denver worth an estimated $80 million.

"I thought this was the best move for me as a young player and I'm looking forward to it," Wade said. "I think with everything coming with LeBron and Carmelo and Chris, we all make our own decisions. Of course, we all talk, no question about it, because we're all friends. ... But everyone makes a decision for themselves, thinking about their futures and their families."

That's exactly what Anthony said he was doing when he signed his deal.

"It was a no-brainer for me," Anthony said. "When all the rumors were out there saying I was signing this type of deal or that type of deal, my family called me and said, 'Look, are you crazy?' Growing up we don't have (much)."

Elsewhere, the draft-night deal sending Rudy Gay to Memphis was finally completed, New Orleans added Peja Stojakovic but lost Speedy Claxton, and the Los Angeles Clippers brought back Sam Cassell but watched Vladimir Radmanovic head down the Staples Center hallway to the Lakers.

But the biggest news, as usual, was made by James and Wade, the MVP of the NBA finals.

The five-year deals would have been worth around $80 million, but James and Wade settled for some $20 million less. However, when they become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2010 as seven-year veterans, they can earn maximum contracts worth 30 percent of the salary cap under rules of the collective bargaining agreement. Players with fewer than seven years experience can earn only 25 percent of the cap.

"We did extensive research and with the way the CBA is set up, it makes the most business sense to sign this extension and then look at another new contract in four years," James said in an interview with the Cavaliers' Web site.

Both James and Wade said their decisions had nothing to do with wanting the ability to leave their teams earlier. And neither the Cavs nor Heat seemed concerned by the decisions their franchise players made.

"We did extensive research heading into this process and understood what our best options were to keep LeBron in a Cavaliers uniform while helping him capitalize on his financial opportunities," Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry said. "There is a mutual trust in putting together a commitment such as this and we are very excited about having LeBron in a Cavaliers' uniform for years to come and rewarding him appropriately."

Teams could begin negotiating with free agents on July 1, but deals couldn't be signed until Wednesday after the salary cap for the upcoming season was set at $53.135 million. That cleared the way for a number of signings and trades:

-- The Grizzlies acquired and then signed Gay, the eighth pick in the draft, along with Stromile Swift for forward Shane Battier. The trade means that five of the first eight players selected on draft night have been dealt.

But the Rockets lost out on another player they wanted when free agent Mike James picked Minnesota. Houston thought it was going to land the Toronto guard.

"I was surprised," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He campaigned pretty hard to get here. As far as I know, we were right in there. It was a shock. Those things happen."

-- Dallas got Austin Croshere from Indiana for Marquis Daniels in a previously agreed-to trade. The Mavericks also worked out a deal with Denver guard Greg Buckner.

-- The Clippers gave a two-year deal to Cassell, who sparked them to within a game of the Western Conference finals last season. But Radmanovic opted not to return and will try to provide a perimeter threat for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

-- The Hornets acquired Stojakovic and cash considerations from the Pacers in exchange for the draft rights to Andrew Betts, to boost their outside shooting. Claxton, the runner-up for the NBA's sixth man award last season, left the Hornets for a four-year deal worth about $25.5 million with the Atlanta Hawks.

"Peja coming to the Hornets is perhaps the biggest offseason acquisition in the history of the franchise," Hornets owner George Shinn said in a statement.

-- Utah sent guards Devin Brown, Keith McLeod and Andre Owens to Golden State for guard Derek Fisher. The Jazz, who fell just short of a playoff berth last season, also re-signed forward Matt Harpring to a four-year, $25 million deal.

-- Ben Wallace, who bolted Detroit for Chicago in what was perhaps the biggest free agent signing, will be introduced Thursday by the Bulls.