Carmelo Anthony, like most of us, didn’t see Dwyane Wade leaving Miami this offseason to join the Chicago Bulls.
Wade’s shocking decision to leave was prompted by a salary dispute with the Heat. The longtime Miami star wanted to be the highest-paid player on the team for the first time in his illustrious career, and the Heat balked. The dispute led Wade to the Bulls.
Anthony, Wade’s former Team USA teammate and fellow 2003 draft class lottery pick, admitted to ESPN he was shocked to see the Miami great depart.
“I was shocked,” Anthony said before Thursday’s Team USA practice at the United Center. “I was shocked more from a standpoint it was just hard to see. It’s hard to see some players in different uniforms and he’s one of those guys who I never thought I would see in a different uniform other than Miami. But it happened, and I got a chance to talk to him and sit down with him and really dig deep about his feelings and what happened. He’s at peace now. And when he’s at peace, I’m at peace with it.”
Anthony admitted making a decision in free agency is difficult and said it’s not as easy as waking up and deciding where to go. Clearly, that was the case for D-Wade.
Ultimately, I’d imagine he’d like to play out his career in Miami, but Chicago offered him a deal he couldn’t reject. Fair is fair. Some may criticize Wade for being selfish (which is stupid) when in reality he’s just making the best decision for himself and family.
Funny enough, Derrick Rose, the salary the Bulls traded in part to clear room for Wade, is going to be Anthony’s point guard in New York. It’s going to be weird to see Anthony and Rose take on the Bulls and D-Wade. The next NBA season is going to be wild.
[ESPN]
