Amid all of the craziness on deadline day, one of the more shocking moves was the Miami Heat reacquiring franchise legend Dwyane Wade from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And they did so for basically nothing, giving up a 2024 second-round pick to get back Wade. The longtime Heat star helped bring three titles to Miami, and was clearly excited about returning. So too was his wife, Gabrielle Union.
Of course, the Heat were also excited about getting D-Wade back, and for more reasons than one. He'll help the team, both on the court and in the locker room as they continue their push for a top-four seed in the East this season. That much, though, was obvious.
But along with his play, his return has also been a big boost for the Heat's merchandise sales. With Wade's return coming shortly after the Heat debuted their new Miami Vice style jerseys, it was really a perfect storm. According to ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell, the Heat have received orders from over 100 countries since putting the Wade jerseys on sale. In addition, their merchandise sales are up an almost unfathomable 8,000 percent over the past two days.
Union joked that she was going to have to cancel her mom's credit card after hearing that report.
It may seem a bit silly, but people in the Heat organization likely took this factor into account when making the trade. When you can bring back a franchise hero, help the team on the court and sell more jerseys, that's a win-win-win.