BOCA RATON, Fla. _ The reunion has been put on hold, but not put aside.
Even with Dwyane Wade moving on to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat appreciate that they remain in his thoughts, as they said he does in theirs.
"We just keep on saying with our group, 'You got to get comfortable being uncomfortable.' Well, every time I see Dwyane in a different uniform, that makes me uncomfortable," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday at training camp at Florida Atlantic University. "It never looks right."
And yet Spoelstra said the respect only increased with how Wade, in choosing the Cavaliers over a Heat reunion, considered his impact on the Heat's emerging guards.
"Dwyane's an unbelievable, first-class human being," Spoelstra said. "So forget about what he does on the basketball court. That's what makes Dwyane, Dwyane. He transcends what normal pro athletes are thinking about."
Among Wade's thoughts is yet returning to the Heat. Despite signing Wednesday with the Cavaliers in the wake of his buyout from the Chicago Bulls, Wade he stressed his affection for the franchise where he spent his first 13 seasons and won three championships.
To the 35-year-old guard, he can go home again, even if not just right away.
"Miami, the door's always unlocked," he told the Associated Press. "One day I want to retire in a Miami Heat jersey. I don't know how that will happen, but I definitely want to make sure that when I decide to hang it up, that jersey is on.
"Whether it's being back there or signing a one-day deal like Paul Pierce, I want to make sure that I go out the way I came in."
Pierce recently signed a ceremonial contract with the Boston Celtics, his team for the first 15 seasons of his career, upon his NBA retirement, having spent the last four seasons of his career elsewhere.
Wade's comment echoed one offered by Heat President Pat Riley after a rancorous split between the two during the 2016 offseason, when Riley ceded the Heat's negotiation position to Heat owner Micky Arison, a decision he said he came to regret.
"There will always be a key under the mat," Riley said at the time. "I just hope it doesn't get too rusty, that's all."
That key will be available only once this season, with Cleveland's lone visit to AmericanAirlines Arena on March 27, just as Wade's Bulls visited only once last season.
A Heat reunion would have required a change in course by the Heat and Spoelstra.
Dion Waiters stepped into Wade's starting role last season and subsequently was rewarded with a four-year, $52 million contract in free agency.
In addition to the starting backcourt of Waiters and Goran Dragic, the Heat's backcourt is loaded with youthful backcourt options, such as Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder, in addition to Wayne Ellington. In the wake of Wade's July 2016 departure, the Heat spent $92 million alone on the contracts of Tyler Johnson and Richardson.
"Honestly, I didn't feel they needed me there," Wade told the Associated Press. "I feel that those guys are in a good place. They deserve to come back this year and see what that 30-11 was about. They don't need me there over their shoulder or anything like that. That's kind of how I approached it."
Wade told the Associated Press he appreciated the desire of some Heat fans for an immediate return.
"To be in this position, to be in this league so long and to have fans wanting you to be part of their team _ I mean, we all want to be wanted _ I can't even explain what that means," he said. "I really looked at their team and where could I fit in and what could my role be and would I be happy with that role."
