Udonis Haslem did not take his longtime teammate leaving too well. After 13 years and 3 NBA titles, Haslem, the only remaining player who played in all three championships, had to watch Dwyane Wade sign a $47.5 million deal with the Chicago Bulls.
“I wanted him to come back, but I just know, personally, there were a lot of things he was feeling that, I guess, maybe just came to a head at this particular time,” commented Haslem. “For whatever reason, we — the organization — and him, couldn't get to an agreement.”
Wade felt underappreciated within the Heat organization. He took a multitude of personal and financial sacrifices to build this team into what it is today, and when the time came to get some of that back, Pat Riley just could afford Wade's requests.
“In hindsight, I don't know, I think I should have come in and pulled a Chris Paul and handcuffed him like they did DeAndre Jordan and made him change his mind,” Haslem continued. “I don't know if there was anything I could have done or should have done. But I felt like it could have been avoided. For whatever reason, it just wasn't.”
Haslem must now act as a leader. Being one of the most experienced players on the roster, he will surely have no issue taking on this role.
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