MIAMI -- After making the final unsuccessful pitch to convince free agent guard Dwyane Wade to stay in Miami, Heat owner Micky Arison was first from the organization to publicly thank the most prolific player in franchise history after Wade’s decision Wednesday night to join the Chicago Bulls.

In a Twitter post Wednesday night, Arison wrote:

Thank you @DwyaneWade for a great 13 yrs! You've had a tremendous impact on our community and our organization. We wish you all the best.

— Micky Arison (@MickyArison) July 7, 2016

The message from Arison came about 90 minutes after Wade confirmed in a letter to Miami fans, first released to The Associated Press, that he would be signing with the Bulls after spending the first 13 seasons of his career with the Heat.

“This was not an easy decision for me, but I feel I have made the right choice for myself and my family,” Wade said in the letter. “I started my NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2003 and it has been an honor to have played with them and help build a winning franchise with three NBA championships.”

On Thursday, the Heat will venture into a new phase without Wade for the first time since he was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 draft. There are plenty of questions ahead for Miami, including the future of forward Chris Bosh, who hopes to play next season after having the past two seasons cut short by complications from recurring blood clots.

The Heat will start the recovery process by officially signing center Hassan Whiteside to the four-year, $98 million contract Miami offered in the opening hours of free agency on Friday. Heat president Pat Riley must also quickly decide whether to match the four-year, $50 million deal restricted free agent Tyler Johnson received from the Brooklyn Nets. The team will also have about $20 million in salary cap space no longer allocated to Wade, which is now money likely to be used to sign veteran perimeter help on short-term deals that would give Miami maximum flexibility entering 2017 free agency.

In addition to Whiteside, Johnson and Bosh, the Heat are also set to return a roster that includes point guard Goran Dragic and promising second-year players in Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, who were key members of the Heat’s rotation as rookies on a team that came up one victory short of advancing to an Eastern Conference finals matchup against Cleveland.

Wade’s departure also raises questions as to how long Riley, 71, will remain on board to see the Heat through another rebuilding process. Riley had hinted in recent years at retiring to his palatial estate waiting in Southern California. But during his season-ending news conference in May, he talked about being rejuvenated and eager to continue working to fortify the team.

Riley’s plan then included keeping Wade around a few more years, however.

Wade’s decision to depart came after a day of free-agency meetings in New York, where he heard in-person recruiting pitches from the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and the Heat. Wade and his representatives also had several conversations in recent days with the Bulls before he agreed to accept a reported two-year, $47 million deal from his hometown team.

While Arison provided the only public comments about Wade late Wednesday night, two Heat executives told ESPN.com they were “shocked” and “extremely disappointed” that matters had dissolved so badly that Wade would walk away from the franchise he helped lead to five NBA Finals and three championships. Chicago’s offer to Wade was a total of $7 million more than the two-year, $40 million Wade repeatedly rejected from the Heat in recent days, according to league sources.

“I’m truly at a loss for words,” Wade's mother, Jolinda, told ESPN.com on Wednesday night. “But I am so glad for him. The only words I had for my son was, ‘Know your worth.’”

Wade, 34, has never been the single highest-paid player on the roster during any of his 13 seasons in Miami, but issues with his contract and worth didn’t grow into a divisive issue in Miami until he opted out of the remaining two years and $42 million left on his contract in the summer of 2014. That same summer, both LeBron James and Bosh opted out of their contracts, with James leaving to return to Cleveland and Bosh re-signing on a five-year, $118 max deal to stay in Miami.

With diminished salary cap space and the need to fill other voids on the roster, Wade agreed to two-year, $31 million contract with a player option that allowed him to enter free agency again last summer. That was essentially the start of the Heat’s money problems with Wade, who bypassed his agent and Riley to negotiate the one-year, $20 million contract that expired last month.

Wednesday’s meeting with Arison marked the third time since 2010 that Wade had met exclusively with the Heat owner in an effort to work out a deal. But Arison, according to league sources, didn’t increase the offer Miami initially extended to Wade earlier in the week.

As a result, Wade is moving back to his hometown of Chicago, and the Heat are moving deeper into an offseason of uncertainty.