Chris Bosh should take the Houston Rockets’ max-contract offer
By Esau Howard
For the past four seasons, Chris Bosh has willingly played a lesser role with the Miami Heat. Before forming the “Big Three” with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, he was a star in his own right for the Toronto Raptors. By joining with his two draft classmates, Bosh accepted that he would be operating as the third option for most of the duration.
The plan was brilliant, though many wondered how long it would last. The arrangement allowed for them to win two championships and appear in the Finals all four seasons that they’ve been together. The most interesting part about how the situation turned out is that Chris Bosh has been the second most important player in Miami for the ladder part of the “Big Three’s” four-year stint in Miami.
Though Bosh’s value has been underrated, it hasn’t gone without notice. The Houston Rockets have reportedly offered him a max contract worth $88 million (that’s according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard), and suddenly things in Miami have gotten a bit more complicated.
If you are in Bosh’s situation, then it would be easy to say take the money, but there are other factors involved. One being that Bosh has been the most vocal in expressing his desire in returning to Miami, though the perception has always been that if LeBron decided to leave Miami, Bosh could be on the next plane out of town.
Another complicating factor is Bosh has spoken on Miami being a home for his family. While he is originally from Texas, him leaving to enter a situation with the Rockets would be for basketball reasons more than anything. He grew up in Dallas, so it’s not exactly going to a home crowd if he signs with Houston. The idea that being from Texas will sway Bosh to leave South Beach, has been vastly overrated, in my mind.
With those factors considered, at 30 years old, it’s safe to say that this will be the last max contract he’ll receive in his career, and Bosh should take Houston’s offer without question. Without him, Miami doesn’t return to the Finals for four straight seasons, and they certainly don’t win two back-to-back titles.
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By signing with Houston, he’ll be getting paid his value, and finally be able to return to his true position of power forward. Insert him into a line-up with Dwight Howard at center, and you are looking at an incredible front court. Houston has been trying to fill that position with consistency for the past couple of seasons, and Bosh will give them an immediate upgrade as a stretch-four. Being able to space the floor and provide defensive reliability, which Houston severely lacks, only increases his value there. Yes, he’ll be the third option behind Howard and James Harden, but he’ll be getting paid to carry out what he does naturally.
In Miami, Bosh will have to continue playing out of position, and though he has done it well, he’s still minimizing his impact. Asking him to take a pay cut so that it allows the team, flexibility to build a new roster, isn’t reasonable. The Rockets are looking to retool their roster to take the next step, and are willing to pay Bosh much more than Miami. This offer comes knowing that Bosh is not even the first priority this offseason in Miami, with LeBron as their top priority. While having the best player in the world should take first attention, expecting your other players to sit idly by and continue to be undervalued is silly.
Chris Bosh has been offered a max contract because he deserves a max contract. He has also earned the right to dictate his future, without having to sacrifice for others in his position. It remains to be seen how tempting this is for Bosh, but a chance to compete on a team with two prime all stars at $88 million should be more than enough for Bosh to walk away from Miami.