MIAMI _ Because this isn't the time, not in the midst of a playoff race that includes former team and present team, Dwyane Wade demurred.
"Definitely too soon," the former Miami Heat guard said Thursday about a decision on opting out of the second and final season on the two-year free-agent contract he signed last summer with the Chicago Bulls.
The comment came in the wake of the diagnosis of a small fracture and sprain of his right elbow, an injury that will have him out at least for the balance of the regular season.
At the same time Wade was discussing his immediate future in Chicago, a part of his past was making it clear that Wade still has a basketball family back in South Florida, with Erik Spoelstra, Udonis Haslem, Goran Dragic emotional in their comments about their former teammate.
For Wade, free agency long has been a measured approach, often waiting until the final hours of such deadlines, as Heat President Pat Riley well understands.
Expect the same this time around.
"At this point," Wade said, "it's too much cart in front of the horse."
All the while, speculation about past and present collide, because Miami was his NBA home for 13 seasons, and, based on the decision with his $23.8 million Chicago player option for 2017-18, could be again.
That led to a text exchange with an NBA scout whose responsibilities include attaching salary-cap value to players.
Q: "Quick question: If Dwyane Wade were a free agent this summer, what is the maximum salary you think he could receive from a team for 2017-18?"
A: "$20 million."
Q: "Still?"
A: You said 'max.' More likely 12 to 15."
Q: "Do you think he will opt out?"
A: "Interesting question. I say yes. At some point a few more million shouldn't matter?"
Q: "There's been so much talk about bringing him back here. I'm trying to get a read."
A: "I spoke to somebody who hinted last night he might leave, but it was a vague notion."
Q: "Would you take him or Dion Waiters if both requested a three-year contract?"
A: "Waiters. Longer shelf life. Do these return-to-glory scenarios ever work out? Rarely."
And, ultimately, that is what this is all about, scenarios, in this case, one that would make sense for the Heat.
So start with this: The projected NBA salary cap for 2017-18 is $102 million. The Heat already have commitments of roughly $66 million to Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Josh McRoberts (a contract seemingly unloadable), Wayne Ellington (his $6.3 million team option seems like a bargain), Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder and Okaro White (assuming the budget contracts of the latter three are picked up).
Even counting just those nine, and with requisite additional cap holds, you are talking about $37 million in space if/when the Chris Bosh situation is resolved.
So, yes, Wade, 35, could slide in at the estimated $20 million or $15 million or $12 million.
But that has yet to address Waiters, James Johnson, Willie Reed and what would appear to be a glut of guards on an imbalanced roster.
Plus, with Tyler Johnson's cap hit to jump from $5.9 million in 2017-18 to $19.2 million in 2018-19, this has to be the Heat's summer of decision.
Unless. Unless Tyler Johnson is dealt (perhaps packaged with McRoberts? Hello, Brooklyn ... ), which then would allow the Heat to potentially defer a major roster makeover until the 2018 offseason, allowing Wade to return on a one-year large-hit deal that then could be scaled back through the non-Bird exception (up to 120 percent of the previous season's salary) in ensuing seasons.
But even then there is the unknown of whether Wade could adapt to a final chapter as a reserve guard, allowing Dragic-Waiters to flourish going forward.
With the end of Wade-Bulls perhaps at hand, we well could be headed to Wade-Riley 2.0.
