After an unfathomable and messy offseason divorce from franchise superstar Dwyane Wade, another high-profile Heat relationship may be on the rocks.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, members of Chris Bosh’s camp have grown angry and suspicious of the Heat’s intentions regarding Bosh’s ability to play following a second blood-clot scare in the last two years.
Rumors and conjecture have surrounded Bosh, who suffered a recurrence of blood clots just before the NBA All-Star game in February. Some have speculated that the Heat will attempt to hold Bosh out until Feb. 9, 2017, a calendar year after he suffered the recurrence, making him eligible for medical retirement, thus clearing his salaries of $25.2 million in 2017-18 and $26.8 million in 2018-19 from Miami’s books.
Bosh can only be medically retired if “a doctor that is jointly selected by the league and players association agree his condition is career-ending, or severe enough to put him at risk if he continues playing,” a source told the Miami Herald.
Though a Heat source that spoke with the Herald insisted that the team’s decision would not be motivated by money, if Bosh and his camp deem that to be the case, he can file a grievance with the NBA players union.
Bosh, 32, approached the Heat during last season’s playoff push and suggested that the team allow him to play while he took a new blood-thinner medication that would be out of his system in 8-12 hours, allowing him to play without the risks of playing a contact sport on blood thinners.
The Heat rejected that proposal, and it remains to be seen if the team would consider allowing Bosh to play on that medication at this point, according the Miami Herald.
As the season approaches, both Bosh and the Heat will have major decisions to make. Should things become contentious between the two parties, the Heat may be trending toward another messy breakup that may close the curtains on Bosh’s Heat career.
Read more at the Miami Herald.