Haslem returning

Wade decision is the next priority

Heat President Pat Riley expects to sign veteran.

CORAL GABLES — Miami Heat President Pat Riley said Thursday he expects veteran power forward Udonis Haslem to be back with the team and plans to escalate his efforts to have veteran guard Dwyane Wade return as well.

“I have a real good feeling that UD is going to be back,” Riley said at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Miami Heat Sports Medicine Center at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute. “There’s not been any announcement on that. It’s just a gut feeling about UD and what he wants to do.”

As for Wade, Riley said last month that he expected the situation to be resolved in midAugust, a timeline that has been extended.

Like Haslem, Wade is deliberating a return for a 16th NBA season.

“Well, I couldn’t get resolved in mid-August because I was on the Amalfi Coast with Micky, having pizza and meatballs. I was on vacation,” Riley said of his annual Mediterranean getaway with Heat owner Micky Arison. “We’ve been in constant communication with Leon Rose, his attorney. Now that I’m back, in town, and we’re really ramping up for training camp, I know Dwyane’s in California right now with the marketing team, getting ready for the season, so I’ll have a conversation with him somewhere shortly.

“I texted him after he got his long-term deal with [Chinese apparel company] Li Ning. We want him back. He and Udonis, we want ’em back, but we’re giving ’em space. We know our young guys and we need to anchor our young team with a vet-