Chris Bosh Is Willing To Give Up As Much As $30 Million To Re-Sign With LeBron James And The Heat
With James still apparently weighing his options, Bosh was "heavily engaged" in talks with the Houston Rockets and is now weighing a 4-year, $88 million offer according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
However, Bosh's desire to remain with the Heat as long as James is on board has not changed according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN LA adds that Bosh is "waiting on direction from LeBron."
If Bosh re-signs with the Heat, most believe he would have to accept a 5-year deal worth $80-90 million. Broussard told ESPN Radio the deal would likely "start at $15 or $16 (million per year) but it bumps every year."
If we assume the lower end of that range, Bosh will be giving up $8 million up front. However, he would also be giving up a year of free agency at the back-end of the deal.
If Bosh signs the 4-year deal with the Rockets, he would still be just 34 when he starts his next contract in 2018-19. It is easy to imagine that he will still be worth $17-22 million for a year or two at that point in his career.
In other words, if Bosh stays healthy and productive, he would make $110 million over the next five seasons (4 years with Houston + 1st year of his next contract), or $30 million more than the 5-year, $80 million deal he may have to take with the Heat.
What is most curious about this decision is that Bosh is not weighing an offer of more money from a lesser team. With James Harden and Dwight Howard, Bosh would have a team that would be at the very least on par with the Heat, albeit in the much tougher Western Conference.
But Bosh must really love the idea of remaining LeBron's teammate.