Bosh was 'close' to leaving Heat

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With the ink still fresh on Chris Bosh's new five-year, $118.7 million contract with the Miami Heat, he admits he was close to signing a new deal elsewhere. 

"It was close. I'm not going to lie," Bosh said on "The Zaslow and Joy Show" via ESPN. "It was close. It was a weird situation because we were waiting so long and I didn't know what was going on.

"I think you're always in a situation where it is close even if you don't leave because teams got very aggressive on me. And I guess as soon as LeBron made up his mind, that's when everything could fall in line. But I was just waiting, so I didn't know what was going on."

Bosh was highly courted by the Houston Rockets, who were reportedly close to a deal before the 11-year veteran opted to re-sign instead. 

The delayed decision by LeBron James is something Bosh admits slowed his own signing, however despite the initial shock of the decision, Bosh doesn't hold any hard feelings towards his former teammate. 

"The longer it dragged out, the more I figured this could happen," Bosh said. "When it happened, of course I was surprised and shocked and everything. But after a while, I can understand. I can't say I'm surprised, but you just move on. It got me excited for the next chapter."