No place like home for Wade

Veteran guard agrees to new two-year deal with Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade is staying with the Miami Heat, and his latest deal is designed to give both the player and the only franchise he has ever known some flexibility in the coming years.

Wade signed a new contract with the Heat on Tuesday. It is a two-year deal, the second of those seasons a player option, said a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side announced terms.

"I am proud to have spent every single day of my career as a member of the Miami Heat and to have brought three championship titles to this great city," Wade said in a statement. "I've been here through the good times and the hard times. I have confidence in the Miami Heat organization and the team they are building."

Earlier on Tuesday, Wade tweeted "Home Is Where The Heart Is ... My Home, My City, My House" and attached a photo of himself standing below the three NBA championship banners that hang at Miami's home arena.

Financial terms were not announced, though it is expected Wade's salary for next season will not reach the $20.2 million he would have made under his previous contract.

Heat president Pat Riley confirmed Wade again bought into the Heat mantra of sacrifice. The contract he signed four years ago left millions on the bargaining-room table, in part to make the deals with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem happen.

"Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago," Riley said. "He has shown his commitment to the Heat many times over the course of his career and has always been willing to sacrifice in order to help build this team into a champion. This time is no different."

Wade's return was expected, yet still represents a huge win for Miami during free agency - especially since it comes less than a week after James left the Heat after four seasons and returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So now, what was the 'Big 3' is a 'Big 2'. Bosh is in the process of signing a $118 million, five-year contract with Miami.

Also on Tuesday, the Heat signed Luol Deng to a two-year, $20 million deal, which was agreed to over the weekend.

"Luol Deng is one of the most important free-agent signings that we have ever had in the history of the franchise," Riley said. "He is a proven All-Star and quintessential team player, both as a scorer as well as an All-NBA defender. He brings the attitude of a warrior and competes every single night against the very, very best."

Miami also announced the signing of small forward James Ennis, who has been one of the team's summer league standouts this year. Ennis was the 50th pick in the 2013 draft and spent last season playing in Australia.

Wade is entering his 12th Heat season and is the franchise's all-time leader in games, points, assists and steals. He and Haslem, who is also expected to complete a new two-year contract with Miami in the coming days, are the only players to appear on all three of the Heat teams that won NBA championships in 2006, 2012 and 2013.

He was limited to 54 games last season, in large part because of a maintenance program designed to limit wear and tear on his knees. But when he was on the floor, he was effective - shooting a career best 54.5 percent and averaging 19 points.

With James gone, Wade likely won't have the luxury of resting as much this season.

He has averaged 24.3 points for his career, 16th best in NBA history and fifth best among active players with at least seven seasons. And only seven other players in league history have as many points (17,481), rebounds (3,605), assists (4,301), steals (1,262) and blocked shots (696) as Wade has posted so far in his career.

Wade could have lobbied for more money or insisted on more years. But the Heat are positioning themselves to have as much flexibility as possible in 2016, a similar approach to what brought the 'Big 3' together in 2010, and Wade's deal helps them greatly in that regard.

Wade still has a hectic summer ahead. There is an upcoming marriage to actress Gabrielle Union, the ongoing building projects at the home he has been remodeling for some time, and the annual fantasy camp he hosts.

His biggest order of business, however, is now complete.

FORMER MVP NOWITZKI RE-SIGNS WITH MAVS

German star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who helped spark Dallas to the 2011 NBA title, has re-signed with the Mavericks, the team announced on Tuesday.

The deal reportedly was for three years and $25 million and saw the 7-footer take a cut in pay to help the Mavericks sign free agent Chandler Parsons from Houston.

Nowitzki, the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2007 when the Mavericks won a team-record 67 regular-season games, averaged 21.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 80 games last season for Dallas.

The 12-time NBA All-Star has spent 16 seasons in the league, finally capturing the crown three years ago with an emotional NBA Finals triumph over Miami in which he was named the Most Valuable Player.

The Mavericks pushed eventual NBA champion San Antonio to the limit in the best-of-seven first round in this past season's playoffs.

Nowitzki, 36, has averaged 22.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in 1,188 career games for the Mavericks and ranks 10th on the NBA's all-time points list with 26,786.

(China Daily 07/17/2014 page24)