NBA: Dwyane Wade joins LeBron James in declaring free agency
Last Updated: 28/06/14 9:47pm
The Miami Heat could face a roster shake-up this summer after Dwyane Wade confirmed he was opting for free agency.
Wade's revelation comes only a few days after fellow 'Big Three' member LeBron James opted out of the last two years of his lucrative contract with the 2012 and 2013 NBA champions.
Chris Bosh could complete the treble as he has the same opt-out clause in his contract - if he does, he will be free to talk to other teams from July 1 - and long-serving forward Udonis Haslem has also elected free agency with one year left on his deal.
Unlike James, Wade has been with the Heat since he was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 draft - he has since won three championship rings, five Eastern Conference titles and seven Southeast Division crowns.
By opting out, Wade forgoes the remaining $41.8million left on his current deal but is now free to sign a new contract with the Heat or any other club.
The move also provides the Heat financial flexibility to sign additional players while quite possibly being able to convince Wade and James into staying.
But, like James, there will be many suitors for the 32-year-old point guard, who is a 10-time All-Star and the Heat's all-time leading points scorer.
"Dwyane has been the cornerstone of our organization for over a decade, and we hope he remains a part of the Heat family for life," Heat president Pat Riley said.
"Udonis has been the heartbeat of this team for 11 years. He has sacrificed countless times to make this organization successful, and he is the epitome of what this organization stands for.
"We look forward to meeting with Dwyane and Udonis and their agent in the coming days to discuss our future together."