Report: Chris Bosh finalizing 5-year, $118 million deal to re-sign with Heat
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With LeBron James out of the way, it's finally time for Chris Bosh to take the reigns in Miami.
Chris Bosh is finalizing an agreement to return to Miami on a five-year, $118M deal, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 11, 2014
Bosh was said to be choosing between the Houston Rockets and the Heat, and his decision was likely motivated by economics.
In Houston, Bosh was slated to earn as much as $88 million over four years. Miami, with Bosh's bird rights, had the option of offering him more years (5) and money ($118 million).
The 30-year-old Bosh averaged 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season in Miami, good for a PER of 19. His totals were depressed by having to play third fiddle to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Stepping into a bigger role will likely result in an uptick in his averages. The last time he was the first option on his team, Bosh averaged 24 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in Toronto in 2010.
The rub must sting for the Rockets, who cleared away both Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin in the efforts of signing Bosh. Now they are without any of Asik, Lin, nor Bosh. However, it's conceivable that they still use the cap room to sign another player. But for now, the Rockets remain empty-handed.