Dwyane Wade Has Spoken

We have heard about all the speculation regarding Dwyane Wade's situation in Miami. Will he stay? Will he sign onto an extension? Or will he opt out and leave Miami?

Now he has spoken out and made his intentions clear.

Wade has voiced his desire to stay in Miami, if they reach contender status once again. Now, the tricky part of this all is discerning the "when" in Wade's statement.

By when does Wade want the team to be a contender? By the beginning of the 2009-10 season? Or is he referring to next off season?

It's fairly clear that an extension will not be signed by this off season and Riley has declared that no moves will be made until an extension is signed. So, Miami seems to be staying put right where they are. Unless Pat Riley has a change of heart of course.

Big name free agents and trading pieces have already swapped jerseys, but there is some wiggle room for trading options. Chris Bosh is still out there as a desperation move, in case Wade does not want to wait for 2010. Allen Iverson has interest in the Grizzlies (according to some unnamed sources), but has been a point of interest for the Miami Heat.

The truth is that whether the Heat make a move to get either or both of the aforementioned players it's difficult to believe that it will make them instant championship contenders. For one thing, they would have to give away plenty of depth and potential in order to get Bosh and/or Iverson. Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley, Daequan Cook and maybe even James Jones would be considered as trading pieces.

If Wade's intentions are for Miami to contend now, then maybe he should consider the consequences of trading away most of a team for an untested and newly-formed roster. How will they fare against Orlando's Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson? How about Cleveland's LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Mo Williams? Don't forget about Atlanta and Washington - adding Jamal Crawford on one end and Mike Miller and Randy Foye on the other.

If making the playoffs is "not enough" for Wade, then will shaking things up for a depth-lacking roster be enough? Mr. Riley it's time for you to call Dwayne Tyrone Wade Jr. into your office for a little one-on-one conversation.