NBA Rumors: Dwyane Wade Thinking Of Early Retirement After 2017-18 Season, According To ‘Miami Herald’

After parting ways in the 2016 offseason, Dwyane Wade is finally home and once again playing for the team where started his career and won three NBA championship titles. Since he left the Miami Heat, Wade found himself playing a different role. In Chicago, he played alongside two other ball dominant players, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo, while in Cleveland, the veteran shooting guard struggled to make himself fit in the starting lineup and made him decide to come off the bench.

The reunion with LeBron James in Cleveland didn’t work out well as most people expected. Before the February 8 trade deadline, Dwyane Wade was one of the casualties when the Cavaliers made a huge roster overhaul. However, it was a move Wade was very thankful for since he was given the opportunity to play again for the Heat.

At the funeral of his former NBA agent and mentor, Henry Thomas, Wade also ended his rift with Heat president Pat Riley. According to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports, the 36-year-old All-Star guard finally realized how much he needed the Miami homecoming.

“I was birthed here,” Wade said. “This was all I knew. You might’ve heard Coach [Erik Spoelstra] or Pat Riley say, ‘This is not for everybody here.’ And it’s not. But it’s for me.”

As of now, Dwyane Wade is enjoying his return to Miami despite having limited playing time coming off the bench. After playing his 15th season, Wade is no longer the player he used to be. He knows himself that he’s already at the near end of his career. According to Barry Jackson of Miami Herald, Wade could retire after the 2017-18 NBA season.

“Wade, 36, told me in recent days that for the first time in his career, he is genuinely undecided whether he wants to play beyond this season. Wade has said that he will only play for the Heat, if he continues his career beyond this season.”

Wade plans to evaluate his NBA future in the upcoming offseason. If he decides to continue his career, the only team he wants to play is the Heat. Wade will go into the summer to see how he feels and the position the Heat organization is in. Fans will surely love the idea of having Wade on their team.

However, as of now, it remains unknown how much the Heat are willing to pay the veteran shooting guard this summer. As Jackson noted, it is very unlikely the Heat will give him a chunk of their salary cap exception which could be a $5.5 million taxpayer midlevel exception next summer or a full $8.8 million midlevel exception. The best scenario for Miami is for Wade to agree to a veteran minimum deal worth $2.4 million which will only have a $1.5 million cap hit.