According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, although Dwyane Wade will without a doubt end his career as a part of the Miami Heat, he may choose to opt out of his current contract this summer.

“Because Wade said last year that he’s eager to see how much he can command next summer, when the salary cap rises considerably, everyone has expected he would not opt out of a contract that would pay him $16.1 million next season. Opting in seems to make the most sense. But it’s curious that Wade was non-committal after the season ended, and his agent this week declined to say if he will opt in.”

It is indeed curious, considering the payday that would be waiting for him if he opted in. And given that he has already taken pay cuts in the past, to make room for the likes of LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Wade only has so many years left in the tank, a fact that became obvious this past year via his many injuries.

If Wade does decide to opt out, he would then re-sign to a multiyear contract. This would not only hurt him in the long run, but the rest of his team as well.

For starters, the Heat would have to look into trading players such as Mario Chalmers and Josh McRoberts, in order to clear cap space. President Pat Riley has made it clear that the organization hopes to re-sign Goran Dragic, and fortunately this wish seems to be a two-way street. Take the figures that Miami will offer him, and add in the possibility of Luol Deng returning as well, and the necessary trades start to make sense. Not to mention that if Hassan Whiteside continues to blossom into the superstar he has the capability of being, the Heat will certainly want to keep him too.

While Chalmers’ current contract is expiring, as is Chris Andersen’s, the team already had to do enough shuffling around this season. Another revamp may cost Miami an additional year, and that is not something they can afford to go through again.

What do you think? Will Wade opt out? Sound off in the comments below!