HEAT RELEASE BOSH
Chris Bosh’s time with the Miami Heat is officially over. Weeks after the sides came to a final agreement on how to part ways and more than a year since his last NBA appearance because of blood-clot issues, Bosh was waived by the Heat on Tuesday. The move was a formality. It gives Miami access to $25.3 million in salary cap space for this coming season, which the Heat will use to sign free agents starting Thursday. Bosh still gets that salary, plus $26.8 million for next season, and in theory could continue his career — if another team declares him fit to play. It’s unknown if that will happen. But there’s finally closure on his Miami era, and the Heat announced his No. 1 jersey had been retired. “Chris changed his life and basketball career when he came to Miami,” Heat President Pat Ri
ley said. “And he changed our lives for the better, in a way we never would have imagined when he joined the Miami Heat. We will forever be indebted to CB for how he changed this team and led us to four trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA championships. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise.” Bosh signed a fiveyear deal to stay with the Heat in 2014, shortly after LeBron
James left Miami for a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade went to the NBA Finals in all four of their seasons together in Miami, winning titles in 2012 and 2013. Bosh’s last Miami deal was worth $118 million. For that, he was only able to play in 97 games. Bosh appeared in 44 games in 2014-15, his season ending at the All-Star break when the first known clot episode started. A year later, he played in 53 games and — in an eerie similarity — his season again ended at All-Star weekend, when another clot was found shortly after he landed in Toronto for the 2016 All-Star Game. Bosh hasn’t played since, missing Miami’s last 125 games.