In the summer of 2016, the Miami Heat saw the painful departure of their greatest player in franchise history.
Dwyane Wade, who proudly represented the Miami Heat for years, left in the aftermath of the 2015-16 season in a shocking fashion.
For 13 seasons, Wade was there through thick and thin for the Heat. He led them to their historic first championship in 2006, with two more coming during the ‘Big 3’ era. He fought injuries and put his body on the line for the benefit of Miami’s sustainability and success.
But during that free agency, Wade felt that it was time for him to go, with Pat Riley and the Heat focusing on other priorities.
Dwyane Wade was upset the Heat prioritized signing Hassan Whiteside over him
The Miami Heat were in an intriguing position as they approached the 2016 offseason.
With Wade set to be eligible for a contract extension, the Heat were in a dilemma about how to handle their other spending priorities. They set their sights on the possibility of winning the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, while undrafted big man Hassan Whiteside was due for an extension of his own.
As the Heat were compelled to retain the service of Whiteside and chase Durant’s commitment, Wade felt disrespected that the Heat didn’t think about the value he holds for them, prompting him to initiate an emotional breakup.
“They wanted to go after Kevin Durant. We had Hassan Whiteside, a player that came out of the G League, had a great year, and was up for $100 million,” he told The Underground Lounge.
“I’m sitting here like, I want young fella to get his money… but y’all about to pay him over me?
“Take care of me first. Then, let’s take care of young fella. Because I’ve shown it. I’ve proven it. This is proven.
“And they didn’t do it. They didn’t get Kevin Durant, either.”
The Heat made a huge mistake by committing themselves to Whiteside over their GOAT player
Wade felt offended by Miami’s offer to return to their side. Initially, it was a two-year, $20 million contract, before increasing to a two-year, $40 million offer.
Wade departed the Heat to join his hometown team Chicago Bulls to a two-year, $47 million deal. It meanwhile allowed Miami to finally regain Whiteside for a huge four-year, $98m max contract.
In the end, Miami failed to win Durant’s nod as the superstar went on to join the Golden State Warriors. In his first season since the max deal, Whiteside balled out but proceeded to regress until being traded in 2019.
After one and a half seasons, Wade and the Heat managed to reunite and mend their fences following the unwanted split.
Despite the ill feelings he had for the organization when he left, the all-time great still chose to retire as a Heat after the 2018-19 season.