Miami Heat president Pat Riley refuses to let history repeat itself with Dwyane Wade.
Lately, Miami Heat fans love talking about the organization’s regrets.
And while the hottest topics of conversation currently are maxing out Hassan Whiteside and matching the Brooklyn Nets’ offer sheet to Tyler Johnson, nothing was a bigger mistake than letting Dwyane Wade walk away.
It was the summer of 2016, and free agency was once again causing a frenzy around the league.
The biggest story of course was Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors on a two-year, $54.5 million deal, leaving behind best friend Russell Westbrook and a depleted Oklahoma City Thunder team.
But Wade had people talking too.
After a dedicated 13 years in South Florida, he agreed to a two-year, $47.5 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, where he joined Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo to form The Three Alphas.
Now, it’s still not completely clear what happened.
Although Wade claims he felt ignored by president Pat Riley, Riley states he was merely giving the superstar space, as requested by his agent.
In any case, it was a dark time for Heat Nation, who felt like Miami Heat Basketball may never be the same again.
Ultimately, Wade returned in February 2018 via a trade, after just a season-long stint with the Bulls and an even shorter stay alongside LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, bringing back joy to the lives of each and every Heat fan.
And member of the organization.
All in all, it was a much-needed reunion that re-energized the franchise top to bottom.
However, as of today, August 23, 2018, Wade’s future in Miami is once again up in the air. A free agent once more, the veteran hasn’t yet decided whether he wants to retire or not, keeping busy with other endeavors so far this summer.
Riley on the other hand, seems to be focused on little else.
"“I texted him after he got his long-term deal with [Chinese apparel company] Li Ning,” Riley said of Wade. “We want him back. He and Udonis [Haslem], we want ’em back, but we’re giving ’em space. We know our young guys and we need to anchor our young team with a veteran presence of the both of them.”"
Fans shouldn’t worry though. Space doesn’t mean what it did two years ago. And Riley hopes to have everything done in a few weeks.
"“We just want to get started … Get to training camp, play our preseason games and start the season. We want Dwyane to be a part of that… Let’s wait ’til after Labor Day. I think that’s always sort of the drop-dead date for players.”"
As for the topic of money? Mr. President will deal with that later.
"“I don’t think this is about negotiating a mid-level or dollars. It’s about getting Dwyane back. It’s not really about the tax right now…”"
Whether or not Wade is really ready to hang it up yet, remains a mystery.
But one thing is clear: Riley wants him (and Haslem) to give it one more go. And this time around, he isn’t afraid to shout it from the rooftops.
Will the Miami Heat round out their 2018-19 roster with their two most prized possessions? Fingers crossed.