The Miami Heat and free agent Dwyane Wade were pretty far apart after the initial offer to the face of the franchise. Wade was only offered $10 million a year to start with the understanding there would be a counter. However, Wade wasn't in the mood for that and was expecting the franchise to pay him back for the cuts he took to get LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010 and last season to re-sign Goran Dragic.
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This is how bad the blood has gotten between the team and its No. 5 pick from the 2003 NBA Draft:
RELATED: Heat's initial offer to D-Wade will definitely have him looking at other teams
Now, the Heat better step up or Wade is definitely headed out of town. There were rumors that Wade would seriously consider signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers to reunite with LeBron, but the money just isn't there.
And that is opening up the doors for one other team to slide in that has the money to spend on him.
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The Vertical is reporting that the Nuggets are willing to offer Wade approximately $52 million over two years. That's a $12 million difference from the Heat's offer and at the very least could be a leverage move to get a third year option out of the Heat and more money from the team as well.
During his age 34 season, Wade had an excellent year for the Heat, averaging 19 points and leading a depleted roster into a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He played in 74 games —- the most he's played in since the 2010-11 season —- this season and also averaged 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
