Filed under: Heat, NBA Preseason
MIAMI -- There was more than one NBA player who wanted to join the Miami Heat on July 8. Moments after LeBron James announced his decision that would rock the league and turn the Heat into instant championship contenders, two former college roommates at the University of Florida got on the phone to discuss their futures."Me and Mike (Miller) spoke right after that," Heat mainstay Udonis Haslem said. "We were both talking about wanting to be a part of the team but there had to be sacrifices made, and those sacrifices were made."
Those came in how the contracts for Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh were structured. Instead of signing for the maximum amount allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the three superstars chose to sacrifice several million dollars in order to help sign the Gator duo to provide a huge boost to the Heat's bench. Michael Beasley, once considered the future of the franchise, also had to be practically given away to the Minnesota Timberwolves to make room under the salary cap.
Days later, Haslem and Miller committed to join the Heat after sign-and-trade deals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors to officially land James and Bosh were completed.
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