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Dwyane Wade is hoping to start for the Miami Heat coming into his 16th and last season in the league after being a perennial starter for the first 14 seasons of his career.
Asked if he’d prefer to start, Wade gave a response with his usual humor.
“That’s like asking if you want breakfast in the morning,” said Wade, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “Of course… but I go into camp and I compete. I don’t go into camp worried about starting.”
The longtime Heat starter could be in line to start at shooting guard once again, especially after news of Dion Waiters not being ready for camp rolled in — potentially opening a window into the starting lineup.
He’s coming off a career-worst production in 2017-18, putting up only 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists through 67 games this past season.
Wade took a $2.4 million deal for the veteran’s minimum, even less money than he made as a rookie. Asked if it was somehow demeaning to take such a hefty pay cut, Wade had other priorities in mind.
“Other things are more important when you’re making decisions about your career,” he said, stressing the importance of his last training camp. “This is when it gets real. I’m trying to enjoy this, the first of the lasts, the last of the firsts, whatever it is, the last of the lasts.”
Wade also took a deal for the veteran’s minimum last season when he signed up to play alongside his friend LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he was coming off a buyout situation with the Chicago Bulls, which increased his earnings for the season.