The Miami Heat's Big Three - LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - reportedly wants to make more money and may decide to split up after the season. Free agent Caron Butler, meanwhile, reportedly plans to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of Miami.
The upcoming repeater tax, set to go into effect this summer, will make it difficult for the Heat to keep their Big Three intact after the season. The chances of James, Wade and Bosh staying together in Miami look even more dismal based on a report from the New York Daily News.
"The only buzz is that Miami's Big Three is past the point of taking fewer dollars than it can get," Mitch Lawrence of The Daily News wrote on Friday. "The days of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh sacrificing millions for the good of the team are over, according to well-placed Heat sources."
All three have player options in their contracts for next season. If they do want more money, they'll opt out of their contracts and become free agents in July.
Keeping two of the Big Three and a competitive roster would be difficult, and it'd be impossible if James, Wade and Bosh all want max-level contracts.
The impending financial situation for the Heat has subsequently created speculation James may leave Miami in the summer. The Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have been mentioned the most as possible destinations, but it is anyone's guess to what James intends to do after the season.
Whether the Heat win a third-straight NBA championship will likely factor into what the Big Three decide to do.
In an effort to bolster their roster for the postseason, the Heat were reportedly interested in signing free agent veteran Caron Butler, who played his first two seasons with Miami.
Butler, however, is expected to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder if he clears waivers on Saturday.
