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Malone: Wade meeting sent message Nuggets are serious about winning

Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Sometimes a marquee free agent simply meeting with a team can be a shot in the arm for a NBA franchise. Last summer, those around the Toronto Raptors considered it a moral victory when LaMarcus Aldridge included them in his list of options worthy of a sit-down.

And while Aldridge didn't sign with the Raps, neither did Dwyane Wade this summer with the Denver Nuggets. But Denver coach Mike Malone still sees value in the meeting with Wade.

"When you sit down with a Hall of Fame player, it doesn't matter who it is, that sends a message that you are serious and want to get things turned around quickly," Malone told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski. "It also shows you we are headed in the right direction, the fact he was willing to sit down and speak with us."

While the Nuggets may have been a long shot to land Wade - he ultimately signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls after 13 seasons with the Miami Heat - the 12-time All-Star had nothing but good things to say about the Denver organization afterward.

"(Thank you) guys for WOW-ing my team and I," Wade tweeted at the Nuggets after joining the Bulls. "The future is bright for your organization. Much respect and this decision was hard."

Malone shed a little more light on the meeting with Wojnarowski.

"It wasn't just a run of the mill meeting," Malone said. "He had done his homework, he had just gone on vacation with a couple of players I had coached and had good relationships with."

Wade had been on vacation in Europe with close friends LeBron James and Chris Paul - both of whom Malone previously coached as an assistant in Cleveland and New Orleans, respectively.

Malone is widely respected as a player's coach, and the Nuggets have an intriguing amount of young and "young veteran" talent - even with Kenneth Faried reportedly on the trading block. Whether they can climb into the top eight of a tough Western Conference is another story, however.

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