Dwyane Wade could hold the key to Miami Heat future without stepping onto the court or into the front office.
Few words in the NBA are linked to teams the way the Miami Heat are branded to the terms culture and lifer. Granted only five men–Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Alonzo Mourning and Erik Spoelstra–within the organization are recognized as embodying both characteristics. But the designation of which holds the most influence is debatable.
Date it back to the beginning of the Heat-winning-rings-era and the first thing that sticks out is Shaquille O’Neal’s claim that he wanted to come to Miami because of Wade. Mix that with Riley’s vision, coaching and Wade’s dominance over the Dallas Mavericks and their power moves broke about even.
Four years later is where the concept of credit began to come into question.
Was the formation of the Big Three a product of Riley putting his rings on the table or Wade’s friendship pulling in LeBron James before they roped in Chris Bosh as their third?
No matter which side of the opinion fence you fall on, this offseason is proving that Wade may be the franchise’s most influential commodity–even in retirement.
His influence on Jimmy Butler and ability to push how much of a match Miami’s culture was with his personality was key to Butler only needing a single meeting to make a decision.
It also did not hurt that Butler was allegedly enamored with the five-star treatment Wade was given on his way out.
Something few would have envisioned when he left in the summer of 2016.
It looked like no one who admired him or was part of his inner circle would want anything to do with the Heat because of the perceived organizational backstab. Particularly when it came to the way Riley refused to even engage in the contract conversations after years of Wade’s on and off the court sacrifices.
However, with the exception of Russell Westbrook, this offseason has revolved around players with Wade connections.
From ESPN’s Brian Windhorst declaring Biscayne Bay as Chris Paul’s preferred destination to the playfully open recruiting of Bradley Beal. Count that as a Wade friend (Paul) and an NBA colleague who he inspired to wear No. 3.
Wade may no longer be with the team, but his influence will continuously be linked to Miami’s targets. And that may be the only way Riley keeps getting whales.