Return games for departed franchise players have become an awkward tradition in this NBA era of star player fluidity. The latest comes Thursday when Dwyane Wade will play in front of Miami fans in a Chicago Bulls jersey.
Wade has been a part of many of these spectacles during his 14-year career. Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James both had dramatic Heat comings and goings, for example. As Wade put it: "I've seen a lot of video tributes."
Yet this one feels different. Wade can still play at a high level and wanted to stay in Miami, which typically is the ideal situation for the home team.
And over the past several years, teams have rewarded franchise players with a final payday both for services and as a thank-you on their way into the sunset. Kobe Bryant got his two-year, $48 million contract. Dirk Nowitzki got two years and $50 million, $30 million guaranteed. Even Kevin Garnett, who was at the end of the line, got two years and $16 million from Minnesota. Wade is younger and less run-down physically than all of them, so his request last summer of something in the Bryant/Nowitzki ballpark wasn't unreasonable.
But the Heat prioritized younger free agents Hassan Whiteside, whom they retained, and Kevin Durant, whom they did not land. They had plausible deniability for not giving Wade the $47 million Chicago did. The Heat offered Wade all of their available cap space after getting Whiteside and then turned their pockets out.
But they had ways of getting more cap space. They were willing to do it for Durant; they weren't for Wade. He walked -- simple and not simple.
"I don't think a lot of people understand. If you're not in this business it's hard to understand," Wade said. "I don't really want [fans] to understand. I want them to appreciate what we accomplished."
Funny, that's what Heat president Pat Riley wants, too. Don't bring up the acrimonious ends to the James, Wade and Bosh eras -- or the O'Neal era while you're at it. Instead celebrate the banners and enjoy the video tributes as everyone focuses on the future.
Only Wade and Riley truly know what happened last summer, and they're not ready to talk it out. Wade said Wednesday that he hadn't talked to Riley since rejecting a two-year, $41 million offer. In September, Riley said he'd written a lengthy email to Wade but hadn't sent it: "He's going to have to read through the lines, but he'll get the point at the end. I have it in my save drafts. So I've just got to hit send, that's all. I will."
Here's one reason it's hard to understand, unpleasant and complicated: The Heat might have wanted Wade to walk.
Riley knew it was long shot for Bosh to return from his blood clot issues and was ready to sever that relationship. The Heat knew Wade was about to turn 35 and had a history of bad knees. They knew Durant, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are among those in the free-agent class next summer. At the time, Russell Westbrook was slated to be as well. Riley always believes he can land the big one, no matter the perceived odds.
The Heat knew they had young players Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson to develop. They believe Winslow is going to be a star. He's a rugged 20-year-old defender with a faulty shot (he's shooting an ugly 31 percent so far this season), and they envision molding him the way the San Antonio Spurs turned the defensively gifted Kawhi Leonard into an MVP candidate with a few years of heavy seasoning.
They believe next year's draft could be deep, and they actually have their first-round pick. That's not an insignificant fact: They've traded away eight first-round picks -- theirs or others they owned -- since 2010. (They also traded up in the first round twice.)
They believe they have one of the best in-season coaches in the league in Erik Spoelstra. Scouts compare him to a mechanic who gets under the hood between October and January, toiling with rotations, positions and pet plays, before emerging with game plans that overachieve by spring. He's the league's second-longest-tenured coach after Gregg Popovich, and he's done some of his best coaching jobs with his least-talented rosters. Then again, he's never had a team without Wade.
If Spoelstra can't make magic, and the Heat look as if they're headed for the lottery by midseason, they might be able to flip Goran Dragic for a prospect or another first-round pick in next summer's draft.
Riley prefers to build through free agency, but he and general manager Andy Elisburg have traveled this road before. In the past 15 years, they've had just three losing seasons. They've averaged a 19-win improvement after those seasons. These improvements probably don't work with Wade on the roster and on the books.
They couldn't chase a big free agent with his desired salary next to Whiteside's. Wade's still good enough to perhaps carry them to the playoffs, making it harder to chase a draft pick or trade Dragic if that route ends up being a real option. And he's a danger of having injury issues. With Bosh still on the payroll for this season, that's a lot of exposure.
When he knew it was time, Riley traded former cornerstones Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning when other teams were ready to offer richer contracts (Mourning later returned and won a title). He traded O'Neal. He traded Shawn Marion. He told Bosh it was over in a news conference. He held the line on Wade and watched him leave.
Most of the time, it's worked out for Riley in the long run. Sometimes in the short run, too. And if there's one thing he's better at than team-building, it's hugging it out. Hardaway and Mourning ended up working in the front office. O'Neal is coming back to have his jersey retired this season. Bosh and James will someday, too -- probably. Wade should be back for a statue. He might even come back to play; there's precedent after all.
But for now, saying goodbye might have been prudent if not popular. Riley isn't afraid to do it, even if it means the occasional uncomfortable night. "I know who Pat is. It's no secret to me," Wade said. "I know how he is. If you're not with him, you're against him ... and I'm cool with it."