The Heat’s primary goal this offseason was to keep Dwyane Wade happy enough to sign an extension and allow him to remain the icon of their franchise. Have they struck out on the deal?

Strike one: The Heat had offered free agent Lamar Odom a five-year, $34 million contract, which was a year longer than the Lakers offered him. He would eventually sign with the Lakers

Strike two: The Heat attempted to trade for Carlos Boozer. They created a three-team deal that would send Boozer to Miami, Udonis Haslem to the Jazz, and Dorell Wright to the Grizzlies along with cash incentives and future draft picks. The deal never materialized.

Foul tip 1: On July 12th, The Heat offered Dwyane Wade a maximum contract extension. He has declined to sing until he can test the free agency market.

Ball 1: Jamario Moon left the heat to sign with Cleveland. While Moon is something of a one year wonder, he was the starting small forward for the Heat, and was good enough to keep #2 overall draft pick Michael Beasley on the bench.

Ball 2: The Heat are in pursuit of Allen Iverson. While Iverson would still be a dominant guard somewhere, I don’t feel he fits well along with Wade and as he is looking to be a starter, would bump the up and coming Marion Chalmers to the second point guard role. The Heat have also expressed that they would not sign Iverson long term due to age issues and concerns about salary cap space.

Ball 3: The Heat have played this smart so far. Tying aging talents up in salary cap space before Wade has agreed to a long term deal is a loss to the franchise. Should Wade decide to bolt after this season, and you’re stuck with contracts of Iverson and/or Jamaal Tinsley you get back to the drawing board before you’d like to.

It’s a full count in Miami. Will Florida’s lack of state tax be enough lure max free agents to south beach? Is playing with Wade an attractive option to other elite members of the 2010 free agent class? There are plenty of pitches left to be made, but it remains to be seen if the Heat will hit a home run.

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