Dwyane Wade still unsure about his NBA future: 'I wish I had an answer'
Training camp for the Miami Heat starts in just ten days, but Dwyane Wade still doesn’t know what he’s going to do with his future. The 15-year NBA veteran told the Miami Sun-Sentinel that he still isn’t sure if he’s going to retire or play one more year for the Miami Heat.
Undecided on playing vs. retirement
Wade addressed the media at the soft opening of a restaurant project he’s opening in collaboration with Udonis Haslem, captain of the Heat. When he was asked about whether he’s going to retire or if he’s going to play one more year, Wade gave the Sun-Sentinel the only answer he had, which was the verbal equivalent of a shrug emoji.
“I wish I had an answer for you. I don’t have it today.”
Wade has said before that he isn’t interested in playing for another team. He reiterated to the Sun-Sentinel on Thursday that if he can’t play for the Heat, he’ll just retire.
“It’s not a Part B to it,” he said. “I think I’ve been very open and honest to my loved ones and to everybody when I spoke about some of the process. I always said that when I got traded back to Miami, that was it for me. I said it in the first interview and I don’t want to pack my bags to go nowhere. My family’s here, my kids are growing, so definitely if I’m not wearing a Miami Heat jersey next year, I’ll be wearing it under one of my sweaters or jackets.”
Except for a few years, Wade has spent the vast majority of his career in Miami. After 13 seasons with the Heat, he signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2016, and the two sides reached a buyout agreement on his two-year contract just a year later. He then signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was traded to Miami at the 2018 trade deadline.
Wade has no timeline for his decision
Training camp, which starts on September 25, seems like a natural point for Wade to make his decision about playing vs. retirement. But apparently Wade’s decision could stretch beyond that date and into training camp.
“Whichever day the decision comes, it comes. And that’s the right day, whatever date that is.”
Wade said that it’s not about money, and that “a lot goes into it” as far as his decision. Which is probably good, because the Heat are pretty limited in what they can offer him. He’ll either get the veteran minimum of $2.4 million, or the Heat can extend him their $5.3 million mid-level exception.
But beyond money, the Heat have room for him if he wants to come back. The team is currently one player underneath their 20-player offseason roster limit for training camp.
If Wade wants to return, it looks like the stars have aligned to make that happen. But he’s obviously in no rush to make a decision just yet.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.
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