The Denver Nuggets have extended an offer to Dwyane Wade, attempting to pry him away from the Miami Heat, sources told CBS Sports on Tuesday. The Vertical reports the offer is for two years and $52 million, and the two sides will meet on Wednesday in New York:
Wade has traveled to New York for meetings that will include Denver president Josh Kroenke, general manager Tim Connelly and coach Michael Malone, league sources said.
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The Chicago Bulls have maintained significant interest in Wade and may still decide to join the Nuggets in New York for a meeting with Wade, league sources said.
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The possibility of a guaranteed third-year on his contract has emerged as a priority for Wade in the marketplace, league sources told The Vertical.
The Nuggets remain skeptical (but hopeful) of Wade really leaving Miami, but they also are still beneath the NBA's salary cap floor, that's how much space they have. They can easily get to that figure (and if they don't, the difference is just allocated to the players) but handing it to a legendary All-Star player to sell tickets and help the young roster learn how to win is as good a way to use it as any.
With the Nuggets at one of the lowest attendance figures in the league, Wade would breathe life into the team's appeal. It's unclear what other moves the Nuggets would make if Wade were to actually sign with Denver.
There is widespread speculation that such moves are driven by an attempt on the part of Wade's camp to get the Heat to raise their two-year, $40 million offer, which is the same offer he accepted last summer, but is a lower percentage of the cap. Essentially it's a game of chicken between Wade and the Heat, but the money and championship situations for Wade continue to roll in. Wade has been rumored to also be considering taking a lower-money offer from the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers and his old teammate LeBron James, but Cleveland lacks the cap space to offer Wade anything comparable to Miami and Denver financially. The chance at another title might be the equalizer, however.
It's unclear whether the Nuggets have established a timetable for their offer on Wade.
