Udonis Haslem is returning to the Heat for his 14th season, but for the first time, he won’t be joined by longtime teammate Dwyane Wade. Speaking to reporters today on a conference call, Haslem expressed optimism about the new-look Heat, but also conveyed some disappointment over Wade’s deal with the Bulls, as Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post details. “I don’t know if there’s anything I could have done or should have done,” Haslem said of Wade’s departure. “I felt like it could have been avoided but for whatever reason it just wasn’t.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- There were some players and coaches for the Wizards last season who viewed Gary Neal as “selfish,” and as someone who was most concerned about his own stats, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. On his Facebook page this week, Neal posted some of those stats as he attempted to make a case for why he should be in line for a free-agency payday.
- Although the Wizards had been expected to meet with Alan Anderson over the weekend, that meeting still hadn’t happened as of Monday afternoon, tweets Michael. However, Anderson remains in the picture for Washington, per the CSN scribe.
- The Hawks initially didn’t have interest in acquiring Jarrett Jack when the Nets made him available via trade. However, Atlanta eventually signed him as a free agent, and Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains why the team changed its course on Jack.
- Heading into free agency, Marvin Williams told his agent that he was comfortable in Charlotte, and that if the Hornets made a competitive offer, he was “highly predisposed to re-sign,” writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Williams ultimately struck a four-year, $54.5MM deal with the team.