Pat Riley is preparing for Dwyane Wade to take at least another few weeks to decide whether he will return for a 16th NBA season or retire.
In a conference call with reporters on Friday, the Miami Heat president spoke about the situation of Wade and fellow undecided veteran Udonis Haslem.
“I do believe and I hope by the middle of August, we’ll probably have a decision on both players,” Riley said, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “There has been communication with Dwyane and with his agent. It’s best that we give him some more time. He had a long trip in China that was a wonderful trip for him. I’m happy for what he did, being able to get a longterm contract with a shoe company.
“I want Dwyane back as a player,” continued the 73-year-old executive. “I want him back as a guy that wants to have the greatest year he’s ever had as a player … Dwyane is a great player, a great talent. He’s not the same guy he was in 2006, but he can be a very good player for us and can make a big difference for us. We want him back as a guy that realizes if this is going to be his last year or whatever, we want this to be his best year ever.”
The 12-time All-Star Wade is about to enter his fifth week of free agency and some earlier indications were that he might still take months to decide.
While Riley doesn’t think it will be quite that long, it goes without saying that the key will be under the mat for Wade if he wants to return for another year.
