Report: Dwyane Wade 'open' to leaving Heat this offseason

It's one thing for the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade to encounter some resistance in resolving Wade's contract situation going forward. The team is trying to gain some financial flexibility for this free agency period and beyond, and Wade reportedly is looking to sign one more "lucrative" three-year deal that would keep him in Miami until he turns 36.

But could Wade really leave Miami? According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the future Hall of Famer is open to the idea:

"Though Wade prefers to stay with the Heat, where he has spent his entire 12-year career, he is now open to considering other teams this summer if the Heat does not raise its offer, according to three sources with direct knowledge.

"Wade must decide by late June whether to opt out of a contract that would pay him $16.1 million next season.

"The Heat wants to keep him but believes that paying him what he’s seeking would dramatically reduce its flexibility to add additional players during the summers of 2016 and 2017."

First and foremost, it's important to note that at this early stage, all of this should be classified as negotiating tactics. There's no reason to doubt that Wade does in fact prefer to stay in Miami; he'd just like to be paid well for his troubles. And he's earned the right to feel that way by being the face of the franchise for so long.

And the Heat's perspective makes sense, too. With the projected increases in the salary cap for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, the entire landscape of the league could change. Every dollar of space is going to matter.

But playing hardball with Wade could be a dangerous game for Miami. If he were to leave -- or even if he were to take a real look at other teams -- the "Heat Lifer" motto of which this team is so proud wouldn't really pass the sniff test. Pat Riley and those remaining with the Heat might be able to spin it as an "us against the world" thing, of course. But one could argue that Miami forced Wade out by not being willing to pay him. And in that vein, those same cap increases could be seen as a buffer allowing the Heat to both sign Wade and add big name free agents.

There's no cause for concern in Miami yet. But there are no safe assumptions, either.

(h/t Miami Herald)

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