Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem officially signed his one-year, $2.4 million contract last week, marking the beginning of his 16th season in the NBA.
While it wasn’t always clear whether or not Haslem was going to return for another season, it seems as though he did not decide to come back because of potential playing time, but because of his love for the Heat organization and his teammates.
In fact, it seems he and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about his role on the team and much more during a meeting last week.
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“Me and Spo were honest with each other,” Haslem said. “Honesty is not always telling somebody what they want to hear. And we both have gotten to that point in our careers where we value each other’s opinions, whether we want to hear them or not. We trust each other. We root for each other. We both have the best interests of this team in mind.”
Even if Haslem appears in less games than last season (he only appeared in 14 regular season games), he knows that he’s a valued member of the roster.
“It’s about my love for the organization and my love for the guys,” Haslem said. “It wasn’t about me. If I was looking for playing time, I could have gone someplace else or played in China or something. But at the end of the day, would it have made me as happy as being around this organization and being around these guys? No, I don’t think it would.”
With Haslem signed, Miami fans everywhere are waiting for news of one more offseason move. That is of course the potential re-signing of Haslem’s long-time teammate Dwyane Wade. Haslem himself commented on Wade’s uncertain future in the NBA, saying he wants to experience the 2018-19 season with Wade.
“My mindset has always been for us to finish it together,” Haslem said. “I want us to do a whole season together. Experience the road, dinner on the road, go through that whole process. I want us to experience that together.”
That sentiment is likely shared with every member of the Heat fanbase. Hopefully, it comes to pass.
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