Haslem not done with Heat yet
MIAMI — Udonis Haslem is not the retiring type.
Instead, the franchise mainstay, best known as Mr. 305, announced Tuesday that he will be returning for a 17th NBA season with the Miami Heat.
It was a decision embraced by the only franchise Haslem has called his own.
“We are proud to welcome our captain back for a 17th season,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “UD is the heart and soul of Miami and we are proud to have him help lead this team once again.”
As he did last season, Haslem, 39, signed a one-year contract at the veteran minimum, the eighth contract he has signed with the team since joining as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Florida in 2003, one that will pay him $2.6 million this season but only count $1.6 million against the team’s salary cap and luxury tax.
The Heat opened a roster spot for a Haslem return with last week’s waiving of forward Yante Maten in advance of Maten’s Aug. 1 guarantee date.
With Haslem, the Heat likely now have the 14-player roster they will carry into the season, barring any further personnel moves, still with the ability to sign a pair of players to two-way contracts split between the NBA and G League.
Haslem, a Heat captain the past 12 years, has shared that title the past two seasons with Goran Dragic and James Johnson.
Whether Haslem actually plays is another story.
The 6-foot-8 forward played only 74 minutes in 10 appearances last season, including 30 minutes in the season finale in what was viewed as his possible final career appearance.
Now there will be more, including an opportunity for a farewell tour before his No. 40 is raised to the rafters at American-Airlines Arena.
Haslem had left his future open in the wake of friend and championship teammate Dwyane Wade retiring in April after 16 NBA seasons. Haslem, in fact, exchanged jerseys with opponents at times last season alongside Wade.
However, he then took to social media Tuesday with a simple Instagram post of, “To be continued Heat Nation.”
The season ended with Haslem and Riley keeping their options
open following
“When UD left after my conversation with him, he asked me where the policy book was,” Riley said at season’s end of the team’s behavioral guidelines. “So I gave him the policy book. It’s taken 25 years to create a set of policies, a set of covenants, a set of rules.
“Even though you don’t like to use the word ‘rules’ with millennials, he took the policy book with him. I said, ‘What are you doing with that book?’ He said, ‘I’m going to make sure these policies are enforced next year.’ ’’
Now the Southwest Ranches resident will return to again enforce those rules, in a locker room that has lost the leadership of Wade features several players still in their formative years.
“He told me that he’s not finished yet with these guys,” Riley said at season’s end. “He feels like he could do some more mentoring and that can be done in any capacity, whether he wants to play or it’s in another capacity.”
Riley said he believes Haslem “would be an exceptional coach,” which led to initial speculation that Haslem could possibly replace assistant exit meetings. coach Juwan Howard, who this offseason took over as coach at Michigan.
“I think he’s of the same kind of character and the same kind of personality as Juwan,” Riley said.
The Heat since filled Howard’s spot with the hiring of former Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Malik Allen, the former Heat player.
A three-time NBA champion with the Heat, Haslem currently holds, the NBA’s longest streak by any active player with only one team. He has appeared in 854 career regular-season games (499 starts), averaging 7.6 points, 6.7 rebounds in 25.2 minutes, shooting 49% from the field and .755% from the foul line.
The Miami native is the franchise all-time leader in offensive, defensive and total rebounds ranks second among the Heat’s alltime leaders in games played, starts and minutes, fourth in doubledoubles, fifth in field goals made, sixth in field goals attempted, seventh in both points and field-goal percentage, eighth in free throws made, free throws attempted and doublefigure scoring games, ninth in blocks and 10th in steals.
Additionally, he is the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds.