Monday, October 25th, 2010 at 10:00 am  |  27 responses

How Miami’s Stars Sacrificed for Udonis Haslem

LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh all took less money this summer so that the team could re-sign Udonis. The Miami Herald has the details of how it all went down: “The Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks were offering him $34 million, and Haslem was telling his buddy Dwyane Wade by text that all his good time in Miami was now done. Haslem knew Miami didn’t have enough money remaining to compete with Dallas and Denver after signing James, Wade and Chris Bosh, and he couldn’t take a one-year minimum contract in Miami with his ill mother dying and family members to support … Wade called Bosh and asked him to cut $15 million off his salary for Haslem. Wade called James and asked him to do the same. Bosh and James barely knew Haslem. Just a few short conversations here and there. But Wade told them this team needed someone hungry and gritty and unselfish like Haslem, and promised to cut $17 million out of his own contract to make it happen, too. ‘They said ‘I’m in’ without hesitating,’ Wade said Sunday. What? ‘No questions asked,’ Wade said. None? ‘Not one,’ Wade said. ‘They respected UD as a player. And they trusted me as a leader and friend.’”

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  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Dwyane should just go into politics once he’s done playing.

  • http://ohlaglambam.blogspot.com Zabba

    Woah. A reduced salary of $47 million for one player. Nice.

  • hoodsnake

    Somebody link this to Joe Johnson

  • Karl

    Great gesture for a great player.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    This proves that guys will ask for less if they know who they are playing with/for. Otherwise it’s about getting yours and getting out.

  • twahc

    sounds like a great start. unselfish, i would say.

  • Hammer

    By far the only positive thing 2 hear coming from the heat. Was a great gesture. U need players like haslem. A tru warrior and team player. Haslem has been ballin n florida 4 all his college and pro career. Nice from the 3 of them 2 keep him there

  • Hammer

    By far the only positive thing 2 hear coming from the heat. Was a great gesture. U need players like haslem. A tru warrior and team player. Haslem has been ballin n florida 4 all his college and pro career. Nice from the 3 of them 2 keep him there

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    I’m not sure how the Herald just reported this, btw, this has been common knowledge since the day they resigned UD.

  • Kent Kanada

    these are the things we forget about when we all chirp the heat

  • riggs

    co-sign E

    but this should’ve been in the AP and circulated everywhere, rather than all the BS that the media has been reporting to bring hate towards them.

  • Darius

    Good Story

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    I am sorry, I am not taking that much money off my salary just for Udonis Haslem. He can rebound at times, hustles and can hit a mid range shot, but there are alot of players that make less can do the same thing. Lebron and Bosh, got favre again, for someone they do not know. If that is the case sign less money to bring in other top free agents from next year group. Wade out smarted them again, first he gets a player better than him to join HIS CITY, then he gets BOSH to sign without really thinking about his role as a third all star limited role player, then he can add to his ring collection and always be one up on Lebron and Bosh. SMART!!

  • http://Facebook.com/jray2009 Jray

    ^BOOK IT!

  • michael

    terrific humanitarian gesture – i hope the 3 of them can survive on the reduced salaries they are now enduring. Seriosuly though, whats with this crap about him having family members to support? An ill mother or his wife and kids you can understand but do these guys families just quit their jobs when their boy makes it to the nba? Jesus, how about heloign yourself out and not being a leech.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    There are very few players in teh league who do what Haslem does for the money Miami is paying him.
    He doesn’t “rebound at times” he’s a consistent double digit rebounder, particularly when he’s not asked to do too much on the court.
    His mid range is ridiculously wet, he’s great on defense, and he always plays hard.
    He’s Anderson Varejo with offense, and the Heat are getting him on the cheap. Think about who else in the league makes what Haslem makes and does the things he does.

  • ITP

    From the bleacherreport in July:
    “Wade got Bosh and James to each take $3 million dollars less over the course of their contracts in order to add it to Haslem’s new deal. On his part, Wade took a total of $18 million dollars less over the course of his contract to be able to resign Udonis.”

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    OK, good on them and all that, but I say no way would they have done this if they played somewhere that had a state tax. They’d be like “Be gone, Haslem!”

  • T-Money

    I don’t think anybody reps MIA as hard as UD. The guy can’t even root for Gators football because he’s down with the U! / The Seed: you’re just reaching for angles at this point. You think Bron got outsmarted into joining “D-Wade’s team”? You think Bosh got outsmarted in not realizing he would be third option? Like, for real? That’s what you think?

  • T-Money

    I don’t think anybody reps MIA as hard as UD. The guy can’t even root for Gators football because he’s down with the U! / The Seed: you’re just reaching for angles at this point. You think Bron got outsmarted into joining “D-Wade’s team”? You think Bosh got outsmarted in not realizing he would be third option? Like, for real? That’s what you think?

  • Hawkules

    @ Eboy. You are right about this article and everyone taking less money, but the part about it happening the way it did never reached the media. Last minute call from agent. Man the story almost brought a tear to my eye. This may be his best year yet just to show appreciation for the pay cuts the big boys took.

  • bashmo

    not too much of a sacrifice for them. They are getting paid about 13 million/year and are now competitors. Winning the Chip will be all worth it

  • http://slamonline.com Krishan

    This is amazing. Udonis is one of my fave players in the L, and I can’t help but give props to LBJ for this. My hate is slowly fading.

  • http://hoopcoach73@aol.com Hoopcoach

    Kobe Bryant would NEVER do this for anybody!!!

  • youngmuggsy

    Malik Rose 2.0

  • http://theurbangriot.com The Nupe

    Great story, hope UD appreciates it and works that much harder.

  • G

    Lol @ hoodsnake

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