A new era of Miami Heat basketball begins on September 27th, when the team reports to camp. A new era, of course, because of one notable absence: Dwyane Wade.
Wade was the face of the Heat for over a decade, winning three titles alongside fellow all-time greats such as Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James. Now, president Pat Riley and his team need to convince the people of South Beach that they'll be okay without him.
The breakup between Wade and Riley wasn't exactly pretty. Contract negotiations were heated before they eventually stalled completely. Riley thought Wade was bluffing as he explored other offers, but when the Nuggets were willing to pay Wade almost double what Miami had initially offered, it became more real.
Eventually, the Chicago Bulls, who play in Wade's hometown, won the bidding for his services. The basketball world was shocked.
But, life goes on, and while he's surely torn up inside, Riley maintains that the Heat will be able to move on too.
Article Continues BelowFrom the Palm Beach Post's Tom D'Angelo:
“No apologies, no regrets – except for one – no tears,” Riley told me today, obviously referring to losing franchise icon Dwyane Wade to the Chicago Bulls. “Good luck. We move on. Players come and go, but franchises move on.”
As D'Angelo states, Riley's one regret has to be losing Wade. But, in typical Riley fashion, he's already looking forward to the next move:
“I’m excited for our new guys,” he said before already talking about the next move. “Maybe we make a deal or catch lightening in a bottle again next summer (in free agency) like we did in 2010.”