5 Free Agents to “Replace” Dwyane Wade

Nov 4, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) cheers on the fans before tip-off against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Let me preface this post by saying I don’t think Dwyane Wade will play in any other uniform than a Miami Heat one and nor do I want the man formerly known as “Flash” wearing anything other than red and black during the 2015-2016 season, or ever.

However, what seemed as a highly unlikely scenario just a couple of weeks ago has potentially maybe playing out in front of our eyes.

Last week, it was widely reported that the Miami Heat and star shooting guard Dwyane Wade had reached an impasse on contract negotiations.

You can see both sides of the argument, easily. Wade has given up a lot of money in order to help the Heat and with this being likely his final big NBA contract, he wants to cash in. The Heat do owe him for all his services.

On the other side, while Riley probably asked Wade to take paycuts in the past, he never forced Wade’s hand to do so. This was Wade’s free will to do what was best for the team. And with the star aging and struggling with his knee injuries, it’s not easy to fault Riley for not wanting to tie up a ton of money, potentially creating a cap nightmare, by signing Wade to a huge contract.

Due to this, the possibility of Wade leaving Miami is certainly possible at this point, though I don’t think the chances are very high. However, if this does play out, we need to see what the Heat’s options on the open market could be to replace the HeatLyfer.

Not included will be Bulls emerging star Jimmy Butler, as he is a restricted free agent and the Bulls would certainly match any max deal handed to Butler.