After being traded back to the city where he spent his first 13 NBA seasons, Dwyane Wade plans to finish his career in Miami, relays Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald.
Appearing on NBA TV Friday night after donning a Heat jersey for the first time in more than 20 months, Wade said he never wants to play for another organization. “This is it for me guys,” he stated. “I’m [going to] stay here until I decide to hang it up. This is home. I’m so happy to be back.”
Wade was beloved in Miami, bringing three NBA titles to the city before leaving in 2016 over a salary dispute. He wound up with two bad experiences, spending one season in Chicago before agreeing to a buyout, then signing with a Cavaliers team that became so dysfunctional that management opted for a midseason roster overhaul.
The Heat got Wade at a bargain price, giving up a heavily protected second-round pick in 2024 that will probably never be conveyed. He received a hero’s welcome when his plane landed at the Miami airport, then another when he walked onto the court for Friday’s game.
“It’s right. It sounds right. It’s second nature,” Wade said. “I was telling somebody recently that I was in my kitchen in Cleveland and watching ESPN and something came up and it said Heat versus somebody and I said ‘We play?’ And [then] I’m like ‘That’s right I don’t play in Miami no more.’ So it’s like a thing — every time I see Heat in my mind it was always like ‘We.’ So, it definitely feels good to be here, to be in the locker room.”
It appears the Heat have a long-term arrangement in mind as well. Wade will be a free agent again this summer and the team is capped out, but it can use one of its exceptions to re-sign him. After making the trade Thursday, team president Pat Riley said Wade still has a lot to offer.
Wade doesn’t mind being used as a reserve in Miami after taking on the same role in Cleveland. He also looks forward to serving as a mentor to his new teammates.
“We’ve got so much growth possibility here,” he added. “I’ve got so much to learn about these guys’ talents. I’m excited about it. Like I said, [Friday night] was definitely a good start. We did some good things and like I said we did some things we can learn from. It’s a young team that can get better.”
This is the wade we needed a year and a half ago to help mentor the younger guys. Just so happy he’s back here in Miami regardless… I think he’ll help guys like Winslow and Richardson expand their game.
Maybe he can show them how to flop their way to a title
He can still block taller guys’ shots. Less sure he can shoot from distance… he seemed to be avoiding the perimeter towards the end.
Let him put some of Miami’s pieces together on the court.
Bro when has he ever consistently shot threes other than 2 years ago and that cameo in Chicago? I don’t expect him to deviate toward the arc
For the Cavs, Wade’s monthly 3pt% went from 33%-36%-39% through 2017 and things were looking lovely after a rough start. Then things turned
I definitely wouldn’t classify his experience in Chicago as “bad.” He got to play for his hometown team, and he got paid almost $39 million. How can that be bad?
If you agree to a buyout before the contract is up, then it can’t really be described as good. Just because you get paid a lot of money or are near home does not guarantee a good time.
It isn’t bad. It’s just that the Bulls were pressured to go in another (and the correct) direction, by the fans.
We appreciated Wade, but we badly needed a rebuild. And the signing of Wade was just a novelty gimmick by Foreman, in order to keep the seats filled.
The problem is, the fans wised up over the past few years. We were just growing restless and needed a change. It wasn’t anything Wade did. We just needed a youth movement.
word lol. we cant forget he had some issues in the locker room in chicago, statistically he did okay though but it wasnt 39mil worth of numbers.
I was thinking the same. I wouldn’t classify his time in Cleveland as bad either. It’s not like he had the Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony experience.
Never gonna forget his epic Games 6 and 7 against Charlotte a few years ago.
If you think that was epic you should watch his first championship run. Or watch that 2009 game against Chicago; I think it’s on YouTube as “this is my house game”. He was great in Charlotte but he was ridiculous back then
I like how he eased in the “I retire when I say” part in there. Not if you decline really quick my man!
His talent retired a few years ago, he stole money in Chicago but they were dumb enough bidding against themselves giving it to him
Riley resigns him next no matter how poorly he may play this year(which I think he can play as a reserve/mentor another 2 seasons) just to make up for letting him walk 2 years ago.
Dwyane Wade IS the Miami Heat. I’m a Bulls fan, and even though he’s from Chicago, it just never felt right taking him from Miami and having him on the team.
Plus, there were just too many battles between the Heat and Bulls. That just made it weird having him on the Bulls. Lol.
He’ll always be a Chicago kid, and we’re proud of him, but Miami is his adopted city, and he belongs there. I’m happy he was able to return to (and retire in) Miami.