Chad Ford has been outlining the ways that the different teams around the league can make their pitch to LeBron. As he tackles the Heat, he outlines Miami’s dream scenario:
The Heat could engage in a sign-and-trade for LeBron or Bosh, most likely Bosh. Sign-and-trades are notoriously difficult to pull off. But they aren’t impossible.
If Bosh and the Raptors would cooperate, for instance, the Heat could send Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook and return Toronto’s No. 1 pick (owned by Miami) to the Raptors and slide Bosh in under the cap at a starting salary of around $13.5 million.
Of course, we know Bosh is unlikely to agree to a deal that starts at $13.5 million, especially if Wade and James are getting $16.5 million. But what if all three players — close friends from Team USA — decide to take a small pay cut to play together? If James and Wade both were to agree to a starting salary of $15.5 million, the Heat could offer Bosh $15.5 million as well.
It’s a nice thought, and if winning was really the most important thing to these players then this is the type of situation they should look for.
But as much as they like to say that winning is the most important thing — it’s not. While Wade is pragmatic enough to welcome LeBron and Bosh to Miami with open arms, I don’t think either free agent would want to join Wade’s team. Don’t get me wrong — they’d gladly play with Wade in New York or New Jersey or Chicago, but actually joining the franchise that already has a recent championship because of Wade? That is a tough pill to swallow, legacy-wise.
Chris Bosh has said that he doesn’t want to be seen as an addition to a team and that he wants to be ‘the man.’ That doesn’t jibe with a Wade-LeBron-Bosh trio in Miami. For his part, LeBron is keeping his options open, but would he really want people thinking that he joined forces with Wade in Miami because he couldn’t win a ring on his own?
