Miami Heat’s President Pat Riley Still Remembers When Dwyane Wade Joined The Chicago Bulls

Pat Riley said the signing was a “cooling off period” for Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade will always be remembered for his time with the Miami Heat. But believe it or not, he didn’t spend his whole career there.

In July 2016, he was a free agent and the Heat were trying to keep him. They gave him two offers of $20 million and then $40 million, both for two years. Wade declined and signed with his hometown team Chicago Bulls. The contract was a two-year deal worth $47 million, larger than the other two the Heat gave.

On Tuesday, Heat’s president Pat Riley spoke with Miami Herald about Wade’s decision and said it wasn’t anything personal.

“I think when he left, it was like a cooling off period,” Riley said. “It wasn’t something that was born out of petulance on his part like, well I’m just going to show you. I mean, he got a great deal with Chicago for two years and he decided to leave. When he left, there were some hard feelings on both sides but they weren’t lethal.”

When he signed with the Bulls, fans in Chicago were thrilled. They were happy to get a native on the team, as well as the fact it’s Dwyane Wade. Though he was past his prime, he still averaged 18 points 60 games. After missing the postseason last year, he helped them make the playoffs but lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Initially, the signing left a bad taste in Wade and the Heat’s mouths but they buried it when he returned to the Heat via trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.