Wade: LeBron was shocked Heat didn't give me 2-year deal like Kobe

Dwyane Wade joined the Chicago Bulls after the Miami Heat - the only NBA franchise he'd ever known - refused to give him the two-year, $50-million contract he sought.

While Wade and the Heat were having a contract standoff, the 34-year-old went on vacation with his old teammate LeBron James, along with Clippers point guard Chris Paul - both of whom couldn't believe Miami's stance.

"They was in disbelief that I didn't have any deal that I wanted," Wade told ESPN's Cari Champion. "Bron always said when we was in Miami, he always said, 'D-Wade is going to be like Kobe. He's going to get that Kobe deal.' So I think their disbelief was, 'Why are you even a free agent? You shouldn't even be.'"

Kobe Bryant received a similar deal from the Los Angeles Lakers to close out his career where he started it. The $48 million he earned over his last two seasons carried a heavier financial burden, though, as it was paid out before the salary cap ballooned.

Wade has taken pay cut after pay cut over his 13 years with the Heat to allow them to put together a competitive squad around him. However, after inking Hassan Whiteside to a $98-million pact, Miami didn't have enough cap space to offer him the deal he desired.

Of course, Bryant's final deal crippled the Lakers. He was a shadow of the Black Mamba and the organization wasn't able to add talent around him, so the past two campaigns amounted to Kobe's retirement tour and a combined 38 wins. The Heat, even without Wade and potentially Chris Bosh, should fare better than that in the East.