Dwyane Wade expressed an interest in one day owning an NBA team, and he said that the Miami Heat would be his top choice.
Earlier this week Dwyane Wade let fans and media catch a glimpse of what might be in the future once his playing career ends. If things go the way he hopes, he might be the next owner of the Miami Heat.
Mind you, the Arison family has no interest in selling any time soon, so Wade will almost certainly have to come on board as a minority owner, and that’s assuming owner Mickey Arison is interested.
We may be a ways off from the time when Dwyane Wade has an ownership stake in the Miami Heat, or any NBA franchise for that matter, but the man has a plan.
In an interview with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Wade laid out what his expectations for the future might consist of.
As for minority ownership, he indicated he was open to anything.
"“Right now, you just want to get your feet wet. I’m definitely open to seeing what the possibilities are and go from there.”"
Perhaps most interesting, Wade expressed his sentiments on being involved in roster construction.
"“I want to be a part of it, I want to be part of it all. I want to be in the war room. I want to be in everything. For one, to learn how the process goes and see if I can help with the next generation, help see talent, be able to help talent grow and all those things.”"
Wade told Jackson that initially he wouldn’t want final say on personnel decisions, which is a refreshing display of awareness considering the struggles of former players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, both of whom have final decisions on all such moves.
He plans on talking to both Jordan and Johnson and seeking their guidance, but not wanting to jump in head first into the ultimate responsibility of building a team’s roster is an expression of wisdom to be sure.
Teammate and fellow ownership hopeful Udonis Haslem told Jackson that while the Heat are their preference, they’re open to others as well should the opportunity present itself.
"“I would love for it to be the Heat but we haven’t been specific about a team,” Haslem said. “Our conversations have been more about owning a team, not owning this team.”"
With Dwyane Wade’s interest in being a Heat after his playing career ends, the idea of the franchise’s greatest legend perhaps one day building another champion from the owner’s suite is mighty compelling.