Dwyane Wade's reunion tour with the Miami Heat will continue, with the franchise's all-time leading scorer agreeing to return for 2018-19, in what now is expected to be his final season.
Wade, who rejoined the Heat in February in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, had put off his decision while the NBA dealt with free agency.
But the lure of a full season back in South Florida proved great enough to continue on in his iconic No. 3 jersey at AmericanAirlines Arena.
With Wade agreeing to terms, the Heat now are at the maximum of 20 players that teams can carry during the offseason, a total that must be reduced to no more than 15 by the start of the regular season. His agreement comes in the wake of close friend and fellow three-time Heat NBA champion Udonis Haslem agreeing to a one-year contract.
Wade, who turns 37 on Jan. 17, has played all but 1 { of his 15 NBA seasons with the Heat, spending 2016-17 with his hometown Chicago Bulls after acrimonious free-agency negotiations with the Heat, and then the start of last season with the Cavaliers alongside friend and former Heat championship teammate LeBron James.
Wade told Bloomberg News earlier this offseason that he already has met his basketball goals.
"I'm way past where I wanted to go," he said. "I just wanted to play in the NBA, and I got a chance to do that. And from there, everything else has definitely been the cherry on top of my career. I couldn't have written it any better than it's been, so I'm cool."
But he also previously stressed how much he relished the two months back with the Heat.
"I was like a kid my whole time back," he said, "just happy and thrilled to be back and be around these individuals on my team and getting the chance to be in the trenches with them."
That has had Wade back working out recently with teammates Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, James Johnson, Justise Winslow, Wayne Ellington and Haslem, among others.
Teammates had been hopeful of a return, but also maintained a respectful distance.
"On the court, he just showed so many things that don't show up on the stat sheet and that do show up on a stat sheet," forward Josh Richardson said. "It's a comforting factor out there really. When he's out there with you it gives everybody confidence."
The reunion also resonated with coach Erik Spoelstra.
"This has been a treasure to be able to have an opportunity to be able to coach him again," Spoelstra said at season's end. "I tried to enjoy every moment of it. I loved seeing his transformation through the 15 years. He is just the ultimate teammate, player, champion, leader, friend, all of those things. I just really respect him for all those qualities. He's made me such a better coach. He's made me a better guy."
To Heat President Pat Riley, the return allowed both sides to move past the acrimony of the 2016 offseason.
"I love the fact he came home so we got all of that dilemma and drama and stuff behind us," Riley said, "and, plus, Dwyane played some big-time minutes for us."
The No. 5 selection in the 2003 NBA draft out of Marquette, Wade shared in Heat championships in 2006, '12 and '13, winning the first title alongside Shaquille O'Neal and the latter two alongside James and Chris Bosh. He also appeared in the 2011 and '14 NBA Finals.
Wade went into the offseason saying his choices would be reduced to returning to the Heat or retirement, although there was outside speculation about a potential reunion with James once James joined the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. Wade owns a home in the Los Angeles area, spending parts of his offseasons there. There also were reports of Wade receiving a sizeable offer to play in China, where he holds a sneaker endorsement.
Wade appeared in 67 games last season in his combined time with the Cavaliers and Heat, averaging 11.4 points on .438 shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 0.91 steals in an average of 22.9 minutes.
He came off the bench in all 21 of his regular-season appearances for the Heat, averaging 12.0 points on .409 shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in an average of 22.3 minutes in those appearances, leading the Heat in scoring three times, in steals four times, in assists and blocks three times each, in plus/minus on two occasions and in rebounds once. He was the Heat's leading scorer off the bench seven times, and also led Heat reserves in assists and steals eight times each.
On April 3 in Atlanta, Wade recorded his 5,000th assist as a member of the Heat, becoming just the ninth player in NBA history to total at least 20,000 points and 5,000 assists with the same team.
Wade was named winner of the NBA Community Assist Award for March and was a finalist for the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, both for his efforts in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Wade's efforts included being present at the school when classes resumed a week after the massacre that left 17 dead; sponsoring the "Parkland 17" art exhibit at the Wynwood Art Walk created to honor the 17 lives lost; and, along with his wife, actress, Gabrielle Union, donating $200,000 to the "March for Our Lives" rallies on March 24.
On a more personal level, Wade reached out to families who lost loved ones in the tragedy, including the Oliver family, who he invited to the team's March 3 home game. Presenting them with custom shoes and a game-worn jersey, Wade also dedicated the remainder of the Heat season to the family's late son Joaquin, who was buried in a Wade jersey.
"I just came back here in a time of need for this community and was able to put some fingerprints on what was going on," he said.
Overall, Wade has appeared in 982 regular-season games (907 starts), averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.59 steals, 0.86 blocks in an average of 34.5 minutes, shooting .483 from the field, .287 on 3-pointers and .767 percent from the foul line.
Among his career accolades: 12-time All-Star (10-time starter), first-team All-NBA in 2009 and '10, second-team All-NBA three times, third-team All-NBA three times, second-team NBA All-Defensive three times, unanimous All-Rookie first team selection in 2004, NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month six times, NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week 19 times, NBA Finals MVP in 2006, All-Star Game MVP in 2010, as well as the NBA scoring leading in 2009.
Wade is the Heat's all-time leader in games played, points, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, double-figure scoring games, assists, steals, starts and minutes. He also holds the Heat single-season records for points, scoring average, field goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted. In addition, he led the Heat in points and scoring average for six consecutive years from 2004-10, becoming the only player in franchise history to lead in each of those categories six straight seasons.
