When Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem announced earlier this summer that he’d be coming back for his 20th season in the NBA, the veteran received a lot of flack from sports pundits and fans across the country.
The truth is that there seems to be a rather pervasive sentiment that at this point, Haslem is basically extending his NBA career for no reason. Many people seem to believe that he offers little benefit to the Heat and takes up a crucial roster spot.
That’s the case despite the fact that the Heat clearly value his presence on the roster, as they keep re-signing him to one-year deals. The general belief is that Haslem offers a unique perspective as a veteran and three-time champion.
Moreover, Haslem recently claimed that superstars across the NBA reach out to him for advice because his opinion is so highly valued within the league.
“I have all kinds of guys from other teams, including some superstars from other teams, reaching out and asking for advice because they value my advice and they value my opinion and I trust that,” he told the Miami Herald earlier this summer. “Often times, there’s a breakdown in trust when it comes to ownership and players. There’s never going to be that in this situation or any situation that involves me.”
It’s awesome to learn how much Haslem’s opinion is valued across the league. Though he doesn’t do much on the court at this point in his career, he has immense value in the locker room when it comes to helping guide players no matter what stage they are at in their careers.
This season, Haslem is going to once again try to be a major voice of leadership within the Heat organization. Though the Heat were just one win away from advancing to the 2022 NBA Finals last season, they did not get the job done.
The University of Florida product has made it clear that he wants to win another title with the Heat for many reasons.
Surely, one of them is the hope that he can walk off into the sunset as a champion. If the Heat want to give Haslem the opportunity to do just that, they’re going to have get serious about winning another title very soon.