Wade agreed to a two-year, $31.1 million contract with the Heat earlier this week, ultimately losing millions as a result of his decision to opt out of the final two years and $42 million on his previous contract. That initial move was made with LeBron in mind, but LeBron stunned the basketball world by breaking up the Big Three and leaving South Beach.
Pat Riley has been busy reloading the Heat since then, starting with Chris Bosh's five-year, $118 million deal and now Wade's contract. Obviously, Bosh came out of this situation much better than his teammate, but now Wade can at least maintain greater control over the next few years of his career.
Luke Ridnour to sign two-year deal with Magic
The Orlando Magic added another veteran to their backcourt by agreeing to a two-year deal with free agent guard Luke Ridnour on Wednesday, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. NBA.com's David Aldridge says the contract is worth $5.5 million and the second year is not guaranteed.
The Magic likely targeted a veteran point guard after losing Jameer Nelson earlier this offseason, and Ridnour certainly qualifies after 11 seasons in the league. He joins Ben Gordon and Willie Green as new additions to Orlando's backcourt for next season.
Williams, an 11-year veteran, spent the 2013-14 season with the Portland Trail Blazers after signing a one-year deal last summer. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the team, backing up Damian Lillard and often running the second-team offense.
Ridnour, 33, split the 2013-14 season between the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Bobcats after a midseason trade. He averaged less than 30 minutes per contest for the first time in three seasons, and put up just five points and just under three assists per game.
The Magic also have first-round pick Elfrid Payton to fill time at point guard, and Ridnour can offer some mentoring for that role when he's not contributing on the court.
Wizards land DeJuan Blair
A busy month continued Wednesday for the Washington Wizards as they agreed to acquire forward DeJuan Blair from the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade, according to Stein. Blair joins Paul Pierce, Kris Humphries and Drew Gooden as players to sign on with Wizards for next season, bolstering a team that nearly made a run to the East Finals last season.
The Mavericks aren't looking for any return "beyond the nominal draft considerations required to make such a deal official," so the deal will likely go through quickly once it's submitted to the league. Blair gets a three-year, $6 million contract with a team option on the third year as part of the agreement, according to Adrian Wojnarowski! of Yahoo Sports.
The 25-year-old averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 78 games with the Mavericks last season.
Brandon Rush signs with Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have agreed to a two-year, $2.5 million contract with free agent swingman Brandon Rush, reports Wojnarowski. The second year of the deal is a player option, giving Rush the ability to hit the open market again next season if he chooses.
The signing signals a return to Golden State for Rush, who was traded to the Utah Jazz last year in a salary dump after missing most of the 2012-13 season. The 29-year-old was a solid role player for Golden State a few years ago, but suffered a major knee injury and needed several months to rehabilitate. Wojnarowski says Rush impressed Warriors officials during a recent workout in Las Vegas, which was one of the final steps before the team offered a contract.
Last season, Rush played in 38 games for the Jazz, averaging 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds over 11 minutes per contest.
Mavs interested in Mo Williams
The Dallas Mavericks are still rebuilding their depth at point guard after trading Jose Calderon and Shane Larkin to the New York Knicks earlier this offseason, and Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram says Mo Williams remains a target for the team.
Williams, an 11-year veteran, spent the 2013-14 season with the Portland Trail Blazers after signing a one-year deal last summer. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the team, backing up Damian Lillard and often running the second-team offense.
He could see an elevated role in Dallas, where the team has Devin Harris, Raymond Felton and Gal Mekel, but little else at the point guard position. Monta Ellis could also see more time on the ball next season, but another veteran such as Williams would give Rick Carlisle extra options as he plans for 2014-15.
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