Dwyane Wade will head into his final NBA season for “one more dance” with the Miami Heat by taking a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum of $2.4 million. That last deal will put his career earnings just shy of $200 million at $199.3 million, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.
Wade has never been the Heat's highest-paid player and has only earned $20 million during one of his 15 NBA seasons. Other stars to have crossed that $20 million threshold include Shawn Marion, Jermaine O'Neal, and Antoine Walker, according to Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated.
The man affectionately known as “Flash” in his prime has been a star in the league since his early days, but he hasn't been paid as well as some of his peers over his career. The No. 5 pick of the 2003 NBA Draft has been the fourth-highest compensated player of that glorious array of talent, ranking below longtime friend LeBron James ($237 million), Carmelo Anthony ($231.1 million), and even former teammate Chris Bosh ($215.3 million) despite not having played professionally in the past two years due to a clotting condition.
Three players from the 2003 NBA Draft have made over $215 million (LeBron, Carmelo, Bosh). D-Wade has earned $197.1 million.
Overall, 20 players from this draft made over $40 million! And this doesn't factor in endorsements – this is just from their NBA contracts! 😳💰 pic.twitter.com/MClyGkYR3f
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) September 11, 2018
Wade's earnings are a bit lower in part due to some of his own decisions, including taking less money in his prime and giving back $8.8 million in a buyout agreement with the Chicago Bulls.
Wade was rumored to seek more than the minimum of $2.4 million, but the shooting guard pondered his desire to return more than the actual logistics of his contract, having one last go-around with longtime teammate Udonis Haslem. The two will share their 14th season together in 2018-19, likely their very last in the league before hanging them up for good.
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