Captain’s on board with Heat
Haslem enters 15th season here.
MIAMI — The captain is back. Udonis Haslem will return for a 15th season with his hometown team, with the Miam iHeat confirming the agreement Thursday.
Even before the Heat made the announcement official, owner Micky Arison tweeted out Haslem’s initials and a celebratory emoji.
Haslem, 37, who acknowledged he is at the year-to-year stage of his career, signed a one-year contract at his veteran minimum of $2.3 million for 2017-18.
“It is a great, great, day to have Udonis Haslem sign a contract for his 15th season with the Miami Heat,” Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement. “He isn’t just Mr. 305, he is a true patriarch of the team. Today we are proud to announce that he is back to lead the Heat again.”
Utilized more as mentor than player last season, he appeared in only three games over the second half of last season, including none between Feb. 6 and the April 12 season finale, when he was granted a curtain call. Haslem figures to set up a similar role.
“He’s invaluable in somany aspects on the court, off the court, in the locker room, with the players,” Riley said at the start of the offseason.
Despite an crowded roster than already includes 14 players, one below the NBA regular-season maximum, Riley continually has
stressed that Haslem would not be left behind.
TheHeatwere allowed to exceed the salary cap to add the minimum salary, a figure thatmostly will be paid from a league fund for minimum salaries. TheHeat still retain their $4.3 million mid-level exception to further bolster their roster.
Haslem said previously he would have regretted not attempting to play another season.
“I’ve come a longway and I’ve sacrificed a lot and had a lot of successandwould love to finishmy career here,” he said earlier this offseason. “This window is very short. The last thing Iwant to do is have regrets — you know, ‘I wish I would have done this orwould have done that.’ ”
The product of Miami HighSchool is theHeat’s alltime leader in offensive, defensive and total rebounds. He is the first undrafted player in NBA history to become his team’s all-time leader in rebounds.
Haslem joined the Heat as a free agent in 2003, after going undrafted out of Florida in 2002 and then spending the 2002-03 season in France.
He immediately emerged as a undersized physical presence in the power rotation, helping contribute to Heat championships in 2006, 2012 and ’13.
Haslem has served as a team captain since the 2007-08 season, a rolehe has shared since with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. With Bosh waived earlier this month, Haslem stands as the last remaining member of the roster with aHeat championship ring.
Haslem appeared in 16 games last season, with 31 total pointsand36rebounds, in a total of 130 minutes.
The Heat already feature a crowed power rotation, when counting centersHassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo and A.J. Hammons, as well as power forwards James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk, with Justise Winslow and Okaro White also capable of minutes in the power rotation.
Haslem’s 14 seasons are not only the most for any
player in the Heat’s 29 seasons, at the end of this past season, the only players with longest tenures with the same team from the start of their careers were Dirk Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks (19 consecutive seasons), Tony Parker with the San Antonio Spurs (16 consecutive seasons) and Manu Ginobili with the Spurs (15 consecutive seasons).
Haslem will enter 2017-18 25 games from tying Wade for most games with the franchise.
Haslem over his career has shared in five Eastern Conference titles, eight division titles and made 11 playoff appearances.
Haslem has been a presence around the team during the offseason, including addressing the summerleague roster.
Among Haslem’s assignments this season will be mentoring Adebayo, the No. 14 pick out of Kentucky. Asked what Haslem told him, Adebayo said, “When we step in here just make everybody better and just keep competing.”