So it looks as though Flash is starting to drop hints on what he plans to do this offseason, and if you’re a Heat fan you’re probably loving every word.
When asked on Wednesday what the chances were that he re-signs with Miami, he responded:
“My heart is here and anybody who knows me, I’m mostly heart moreso than anything,” he said. “That’s all I can say. My heart is in Miami. If everything works out, I will be in Miami.”
Reports from the Miami Herald say that Flash, along with several of his teammates, spoke less than 24 hours after the Boston Celtics eliminated the Heat in the opening round of the playoffs in five games. While his teammates all believe Wade will return, Wade spoke about his upcoming free agency, which is constantly on his mind.
“I feel like it’s a good rule for me,” Wade said. “I don’t know if it’s a good rule for someone else in another city. For me, it’s a good rule to have an opportunity to say … ‘This a beautiful place to be, a city I’ve been in for a long time,’ ” he said.
Now the Heat have much more than the beautiful weather and women to entice Wade. The Heat can pay Wade $127 million over six years, as opposed to the $98 million for five years other teams are allowed to throw at him
The Palm Beach Post also reports that the majority of Wade’s teammates believe he’s not going anywhere (or at least they hope not):
“He loves it here,” [Jermaine] O’Neal said. “I believe he will sign with them.”
O’Neal said on Tuesday he would be “shocked” if Wade left Miami.
Power forward Udonis Haslem, Wade’s closest friend on the team, said, “I see Dwyane Wade in Miami. It’s hard for me to see Dwyane anywhere else.”
Quentin Richardson agrees.
“My gut would tell me he’s going to be a Miami Heat next year,” Richardson said.
While Wade dropped hints of him remaining in Miami, he said the biggest question mark he is concerned with is not where he will be but rather where his teammates will be, his close friends Dorell Wright and Udonis Haslem in particular.
“That’s the hardest thing about it, is the uncertainty of going through the summer of not knowing where UD and D-Wright’s going to be, if they’re going to be here or if they’re going to be somewhere else,” Wade said.
As it isn’t a lock that D Wade will remain in a Heat uniform until he puts the pen to that paper this summer, the chances are looking very good for the Sunshine State.