Wade on Miami exit: Riley didn't show he wanted me there
Dwyane Wade is the greatest player in franchise history and it was a given that Wade would be a Miami Heat lifer.
But after a second straight year of strained negotiations, Wade did the unthinkable. The 35-year-old shocked the world by taking his talents to the Chicago Bulls and both Wade and the Heat came out looking worse for wear.
Wade claimed at the time that he was drawn by the idea of playing in his hometown, but in speaking to Adrian Wojnarowski on the Vertical Podcast with Woj, Wade revealed that what truly drove him away was the way Heat president Pat Riley handled negotiations.
"I did feel at the end of the day it's Micky Arison's team but it's Pat's show," Wade said, as transcribed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "I love Pat and I know he loves me. The fact that we didn't talk, that hurt. That was my deciding factor when it came down to the end of the day and he didn't show he wanted me there. I know the Arison family loved me and wanted me there. I know Spo (coach Erik Spoelstra) wanted me there.
"At the end of the day, I didn't hear from the guy I needed to. I expressed this to him later. That right there hurt me. It showed me ... it was time to remove myself from the situation. ... It's a business. But I'm human as well. I was waiting for him to step up and meet me, call me, do something, and it just never happened.
"That's not the Pat I know. You can find me quicker than anybody. You want to be wanted. Everyone wants to be wanted. I didn't feel like I was wanted from the person I wanted to be wanted from. ... I was waiting for him to step up and meet me somewhere. Call me. Do something. It just never happened. That's not Pat. That's not the Pat I know."
Wade was hurt by how the Heat gave max contracts to the likes of Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh - yet he never got the same courtesy despite being a far more accomplished player.
"All these players deserved the money they got," Wade said. "My (gripe) is not with any of them. I love all of those guys. I'm sitting over here with my hands (open). Everyone is talking the future, the future. My future is running out. I'm still a good player in this league. I'm not asking for something I don't think I deserve ... Did my feelings get hurt some? Yes. At the end of the day, you have to make the best decision for you."
Wade delivered three championships in his 13 seasons with the Heat. He is the franchise-leader in points, assists, minutes, field-goals made, free throws, and steals.