James’ decision likely to have significant impact on Bosh’s future.
Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh is reportedly giving serious consideration to the Houston Rockets’ maximum contract offer of four years worth $88m.
Along with team-mates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, Bosh opted out of the final two years of his deal with Miami last week but had been expected to re-sign to continue the Big Three era.
However, with James demanding a maximum level contract from the Eastern Conference giants, it is understood that both Wade and Bosh would have to take drastic pay cuts in order to make the situation work.
James is scheduled to have a meeting with team president Pat Riley this week to discuss terms on his new deal, but in the mean time Bosh has started to consider his options and is looking at the Rockets as a viable switch this summer, ESPN reports.
While it is suggested that Bosh isn’t insulted as such by the Heat’s insistence for him to take less money than he is willing to discuss, Houston’s ability to offer him a deal that could approach $90m has him seriously mulling over the possibility of moving over to the West this off-season.
Meanwhile, given the Rockets’ move for Bosh it can be an indication that the franchise are not confident that they will land New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, with reports in the past few days suggesting that he will either stay in New York or join the Los Angeles Lakers.
As a result, Houston will still trade Jeremy Lin to create the cap space that they need in order to offer a max deal to a free agent, but instead of Anthony it is likely to be Bosh who is now their focus in the coming days.
The 30-year-old averaged 16.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season, but ultimately a lack of depth ensured that the Heat surrendered their crown to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Having played such a significant part in helping the Heat to back-to-back championships since his arrival in 2010, Bosh and the Big Three have met on two separate occasions to discuss how they will approach their situation this summer.
However, with James’ push to receive a max deal, it has put their relationship under pressure according to sources close to the situation which suggests that Bosh would be willing to move elsewhere this summer in order to have a fresh challenge.
Nevertheless, if James decides to stay in Miami and there is sufficient cap space to offer both Wade and Bosh deals closer to their expectations, then there is still the possibility that all three will remain in Miami for the foreseeable future.
Riley took his first steps in trying to persuade them that he is again capable of building a championship-winning roster, after it was confirmed that they have deals for both Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.
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