Hooped Up

It’s pretty clear that the best way to keep your free agent superstar player past 2010 is to extend their contract before the 2010 madness begins and never let them get dazzled by the big numbers teams with deep pockets (the Knicks) will throw at them. This is exactly Pat Riley’s plan to keep the amazing Dwyane Wade in a Heat uniform for a long time.

Heat president Pat Riley laid out his offseason itinerary Wednesday. And atop the agenda was signing Dwyane Wade to a contract extension that would keep the team’s marquee player in Miami through the 2014-15 season. Riley put forth a blueprint with Wade as the centerpiece now and in the future. Wade, the NBA’s scoring champion who finished third in MVP voting, has one guaranteed season remaining on his contract and could opt out of his deal next summer, when several other superstars could be free agents. But Riley said Wednesday he would like to lock up Wade well before he can hit the open market in what could be the NBA’s biggest free-agency frenzy ever.

On the flip side, if D-Wade waits until 2010 to except an offer from the Heat. He’ll have plenty of other contract offers to help squeeze out every penny he can as a free agent. I wish I had these problems.

Via Miami Herald