Nuggets executives walked away from their meeting with Dwyane Wade on Wednesday morning in New York feeling good about their positioning in the race to sign the veteran all-star with the Miami Heat. But they know there are many hurdles to jump in order to sign him.
Wade met a Nuggets contingent that included team president Josh Kroenke, general manager Tim Connelly and head coach Michael Malone. The talk, which lasted 2 1/2 hours, was a pitch that included a reiteration of the already extended offer of a two-year contract worth more than $50 million.
The Nuggets were pleased with how the meeting went, league sources said, but know that they have competition from three other teams – Miami, Chicago and Milwaukee. The Nuggets have offered the most money, but the Heat remain a formidable foe. If Miami, which had offered a two-year, $40 million contract, can find a way to add more money to its offer, the consensus around the league is he’ll remain with the Heat. Wade has spent his entire 13-year career with Miami, and, according to a report by The Vertical, the team was expected to meet with the face of their franchise on Wednesday afternoon.
But if the chasm between Wade and Miami becomes irreparable, the Nuggets would be as close to being in the driver’s seat as they possibly could be. There have been reports that the 34-year-old Wade would seek a third year on the deal. If thatap the case, the Nuggets would resist. Sources said the Nuggets are all in on a two-year contract, which breaks down as one year plus a player option for the second year.
Nuggets starting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay said he planned to try to contact Wade via text to pitch him on the Nuggets.
“It probably won’t work,” he said, smiling. “But I’ll shoot my shot.”
The idea of Wade in a Nuggets uniform, however, was very appealing to Mudiay.
“He’s the third-best shooting guard (all-time). You have Michael Jordan, Kobe (Bryant) and him,” Mudiay said. “Thatap the way I see it. He’s one of the greats. He’ll go down as a Hall of Famer. Just to learn from somebody like that would be great. I haven’t had a Hall of Famer as a vet in the arena. Thatap not a knock on any of my teammates, but thatap how you get to a different type of level.”
Wade is coming off a bounce-back season, having averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. It was a bounce-back season due to his ability to shake off injuries and play in 74 games. He had battled injuries in his previous two seasons that limited him to 62 games in 2014-15 and 54 games in 2013-14.
For the Nuggets, an organization looking for a bump in its appeal, having missed the playoffs three years in a row, their effort to sign Wade has already been a success to some degree. If Wade ends up choosing the Nuggets, it would raise the team’s profile in a way that hasn’t been seen since Carmelo Anthony wore powder blue.
“He’s been one of the best two guards for a very long time,” Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris said. “He’s definitely at the top of the league.”
