Udonis Haslem wishes he did more to keep Dwyane Wade with Heat

May 9, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (left) greets Heat guard Dwyane Wade (right) during the second quarter in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (left) greets Heat guard Dwyane Wade (right) during the second quarter in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Udonis Haslem, after signing his new deal with the Miami Heat, thinks the team could have avoided losing Dwyane Wade and thinks he should have done more.

When the 2016-17 season tips off for the Miami Heat, Udonis Haslem will still be on the court in South Florida, but he will be without his longtime teammate who was along side for the team’s three championships and multiple runs to the NBA Finals.

When Dwyane Wade, who came into the league with Haslem before the 2003-04 season, announced he was going to leave for the Chicago Bulls last week, many people wondered what must have gone down for the man who was a fan favorite in “Wade County” head out of town on the first thing running.

While Wade said that his relationship with team president Pat Riley was strained of late, Haslem thinks that a divorce could have been avoided and that he could have done more to help both sides come back together, according to ESPN.com:

"“I wanted him to come back, but I just know, personally, there were a lot of things he was feeling that, I guess, maybe just came to a head at this particular time. For whatever reason, we — the organization — and him, couldn’t get to an agreement.”“In hindsight, I don’t know, I think I should have come in and pulled a Chris Paul and handcuffed him like they did DeAndre Jordan and made him change his mind,” Haslem said. “I don’t know if there was anything I could have done or should have done. But I felt like it could have been avoided.”"

Haslem will be a part of a Heat team next season that will be led by Chris Bosh – if he is able to fully recover from blood clots that have sidelined him for parts of the last two years – and players like Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson, who signed four year deals each worth a combined $148 million.

Translation: don’t expect much from Haslem and the Miami Heat during the upcoming season.

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