Heat give Wade 40 million reasons to stay
Vet offered two-year deal; Spurs turn to Pau Gasol; Bogut set to join Mavericks
Dwyane Wade has an offer to consider
Wade has been extended a twoyear, $40 million (U.S.) contract offer to stay with the Miami Heat, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press on Monday.
The second year would be at Wade’s option. The contract would essentially match the career-best $20 million salary Wade made this past season.
This is the second consecutive summer in which Wade and the Heat have had a rocky time finding common contractual ground, and the is- sue this time could be more about the length of the deal than the compensation.
Wade has left millions on the bargaining table in past negotiations with the Heat, though some of that sacrifice also helped him win championships in 2012 and 2013.
A three-year deal would obviously help him recoup more of what he’s given up in the past.
Wade was returning this week to the U.S. from a European vacation, which he shared part of with longtime friends LeBron James and Chris Paul.
Wade has spent all 13 of his NBA seasons in Miami and has said several times he wants to spend his entire career with the club. Wade averaged 19.0 points and 4.6 assists this past season, and was an all-star pick for the 12th time. MAVS LAND BOGUT: Andrew Bogut is headed to the Dallas Mavericks from Golden State thanks to the Warriors’ successful pursuit of Kevin Durant.
The person also said the Mavericks are set to sign Harrison Barnes, who will become an unrestricted free agent after Golden State renounces his rights to clear enough cap room to sign Durant. The Mavericks had informed Barnes they would him extend him an offer sheet as a restricted free agent, but now the sides have agreed to a maximum contract and Dallas will sign Barnes to a four-year, $94 million deal as early Thursday when contracts can be finalized.
The Mavs missed out on their top two targets in free agency for the fifth straight year when Memphis guard Mike Conley and Miami centre Hassan Whiteside stayed with their current teams.
But Dallas added three starters in two days, including bringing back point guard Deron Williams for a second season with his hometown team. The Mavericks also virtually assured the return of Dirk Nowitzki.
Bogut will get $11million in the final year of his deal, and Williams has agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract. Those moves will give the Mavericks more flexibility next summer with expected strong classes in free agency and the draft. PAU JOINS SPURS: The San Antonio Spurs agreed to a two-year deal with veteran forward Pau Gasol.
The deal is worth more than $30 million and final terms will be completed after the Spurs make a move or two to create the necessary cap space.
The Spurs were one of six teams granted a meeting with Durant last weekend, and they had hoped to sell the biggest available free agent on joining the most consistently successful American sports franchise of the last two decades.
That didn’t stop the Spurs from remaining aggressive in hopes of matching a team that won a leaguerecord 73 regular-season games and just added a fourth all-star.
Gasol has been one of the league’s most talented and versatile big men for the last 15 years.