Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem spent more than ten seasons together as teammates in Miami. They were both Heat “lifers” until Wade signed with the Bulls in free agency this summer, which Haslem felt could have been avoided.
Having won three championships together, Haslem and Wade are still close. Haslem told Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald that he still hopes to end his career playing with Wade, but preferably in Miami:
“I’m going to damn sure try,” Haslem told me. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess I’ve got to wait until next summer to see how that goes. But, I never give up without a fight. So there’s ain’t no time to start now.”
Would Haslem consider leaving the Heat to do so?
“I didn’t say that,” Haslem said. “I was thinking more him of him coming here. I never said that. I won’t ever say that. When I said play with him again, I never said leave.
“He’s trying to sell his house down here. I might just buy it and hold it for him.”
It’s hard to imagine how Wade could end up back in a Heat uniform, though, at this point. He and Pat Riley still haven’t communicated since Wade left. And that was more than two months ago.
Wade’s deal with Chicago is for two years with a player option for 2017-18. While a return to Miami might seem unlikely, it’s not out of the question that Haslem could get his wish if Wade doesn’t embrace the idea of finishing his career in Chicago.
