Much like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James (if he so decided), when Udonis Haslem opted out of the final year of his contract with the Heat, it wasn’t to pursue options anywhere else.
Haslem left $4.6 million on the table to give his team the flexibility to pay him more money in total over more seasons, while freeing up some additional space in the present to add talent to the roster.
His deal in Miami has now been secured for the next two seasons.
From Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com:The Miami Heat re-signed longtime forward Udonis Haslem to a new contract Friday.
The team did not announce terms of the deal, but sources told ESPN.com it is for the room midlevel exception of two years and $5.5 million.Haslem wasn’t going anywhere. He’s played all 11 of his NBA seasons in Miami, and while his on-court role there has diminished in recent years, his veteran leadership is valued by the organization, and he’s been professional enough to maintain his readiness for whenever his number is called.
