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Apparently, the shocking trade that brought Dwyane Wade back to the team that first drafted him was not a last second thought. Ever since Wade left the Heat in free agency one and a half years ago, there was tension between him and longtime Heat president Pat Riley.
According to Alex Kennedy from HoopsHype, Wade and Riley made up at Henry Thomas' funeral last week. Henry was Wade's longtime agent. Riley and Henry worked together during Wade's first 13 seasons in the NBA, all of which he spent playing for the Heat.
The tension started two seasons ago. During the 2015-16 season, one before Wade left in free agency to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls, Riley was confident he would be able to resign Wade. The president decided to focus on other free agents – like Kevin Durant – and did not give Wade enough attention. The team was also focused on re-signing center Hassan Whiteside, which they did. Add Whiteside's contract to the deal Chris Bosh signed with the Heat one season earlier and Miami had already covered about one-half of their salary cap space.
As a result, the best offer the Heat gave Wade was a $10 million annual contract. Wade felt insulted that Riley did not do more to keep him, plus felt as if the offer was a slap in the face after helping the Heat win three NBA championships.
It seems as if they are good now. Kennedy points that Riley and Wade's reunion at Thomas' funeral was a key component in completing the trade. There is even interesting in re-signing Wade after his current contract expires this summer.
