Team in China offers Wade ‘monster deal’

Or perhaps there is a third option?

As the Miami Heat await a decision from Dwyane Wade on whether the 36-year-old guard will decide to return for a 16th NBA season, a Saturday report out of China said the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association are prepared to offer the guard “a monster deal.”

The report, featured at the top of Hoops Hype’s morning rumor roundup, comes amid Wade’s marketing tour of China, where he announced earlier in the week a lifetime agreement with apparel maker Li Ning.

Wade said at season’s end that his decision ultimately would come down to continuing his Heat encore that began with last season’s February trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers or a move into post-basketball ventures.

Wade has been accompanied during his marking tour in China by Udonis Haslem, who last month said he would consider playing overseas, possibly in China, as a means of securing additional playing time. Like Wade, Haslem is a free agent.

Salary does not figure to be a negotiating point for Wade with the Heat, who are limited either to an offer of the $5.3 million taxpayer midlevel exception for 2018-19 or the $2.3 million minimum salary for a player of Wade’s tenure.

The Heat has three open roster spots for next season, enough to accommodate Wade, Haslem and an additional player.

Among the reasons Wade cited for his return last season to the Heat and ongoing preference to remain in South Florida was to spend more time with his sons amid their burgeoning basketball careers.

As a matter of perspective, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers play in a 3,500-seat arena, having in recent seasons featured import players on the level of Andray Blatche, Kenyon Martin, Ike Austin, Jordan Crawford and Patty Mills, with the team planning to add Al Jefferson for this coming season.

Wade deferred on a decision earlier in the week

“When I get back from China, I’ll focus on that,” he told the Associated Press. “Right now, I’m focused on the game after basketball. Whatever happens in basketball, it happens.”

HAWKS: Atlanta agreed to a deal with free-agent center Alex Len for two years and $8.5 million. Len, 7-foot-1, 260 pounds, was a No. 5 overall draft pick in 2013 by Phoenix out of Maryland. He spent his entire five-year career with the organization. The 25-year-old Ukrainian averaged 7.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in 335 career games. He became expendable when the Suns selected center DeAndre Ayton with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.