Dwyane Wade shows NBA’s buyout rules need tinkering
MIAMI — This is not the typical buyout timetable, weeks before the start of training camp. But this also is not the typical buyout situation.
When Dwyane Wade signed on with the Chicago Bulls for two seasons last summer it was for: 1. More money than the Miami Heat were offering. 2. The opportunity to remain in playoff contention.
So he cashed in with his hometown Bulls, only to see the Bulls cash out with the June trade of Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Since then there has been nothing but speculation about Wade’s future, here, there, everywhere. But there also has been nothing from Wade or his representation. Part of that is the NBA’s collectivebargaining agreement and that pesky “Article 35” in the Uniform Player Contract that states players can be suspended for a “definite or indefinite period” as well as fined by the commissioner for “any statement having, or that was designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball or of the Association.”
It is the language the NBA has used to fine players from Metta World Peace to Marcus Morris for trade demands. It is also why players such as Goran Dragic, Paul George and Kyrie Irving have let others do the talking for them.
And yet you don’t have to be a mind-reader to appreciate Wade’s situation. Yes, he picked up his $23.8 million Bulls option in June because that is what so much of his 2016 offseason had been about, securing that one, final substantial contract. But he also picked it up well aware of the NBA’s lenient buyout rules.
Basically, once Wade and the Bulls reach common ground on a buyout figure, Wade will go on the NBA waiver wire, eligible only to be claimed for his full $23.8 million salary (with no team currently in possession of such space).
So, 48 hours later, he will be free to sign with the team of his choice at the salary of his choice.
And that’s where this has to change, perhaps to dissuade the temptation of the buyout route, in this case a potential hookup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was at last season’s buyout deadline that ESPN’s Zach Lowe pointed to the unfairness of contenders being able to stock up for the stretch run by cherry picking from the buyout market, as the Cavaliers did with Deron Williams (which hardly proved to be an over-thetop move).
The suggestion was a secondary waiver process, similar to the approach after amnesty releases, where teams could bid any or all of their remaining cap space or exception money. In this case, the Indiana Pacers, with their $7 million in cap space, could step up with a bid, or the Nuggets with their $4 million, or any team holding an exception, such as the Heat with their $4.3 million mid-level.
The reality is that by opting back into the final year of his Chicago deal, Wade left himself vulnerable to a trade to any team, anyway (which still could happen). Plus, the team agreeing to the buyout then could get that additional funding to offset the buyout.
For a moment, move beyond Wade, since right now that remains a hypothetical. But, in general, would any player be as inclined to push for a buyout knowing that Part B of the equation might not be under their control? (An exception to such a secondary waiver market should be made for players with no-trade clauses, since they negotiated the right to choose a potential next destination as part of their contract.)
Much has been made in the past week about the coldness of the NBA, of how an injured Isaiah Thomas can play within days of his sister’s death and then, months later, summarily be dealt by the Boston Celtics. But that also is the tradeoff between agreeing to the security of long-term contract vs. standing as a free agent each summer (especially since players with Bird Rights on one-year contracts can’t be traded without their permission.)
What needs to change is the buyout market standing as a tool toward a desired destination. Take away that element and we might not again hear Wade utter that line from his T-Mobile commercial of, “Get me outta here!”