Darting through answers the way he slices through a defense going to the basket, Heat guard Dwyane Wade was in MVP form as he offered his season outlook.

One problem. Wade misunderstood the question.

``Oh,'' Wade said, when he realized he was asked about his plans for next season and not this one. ``I know what I want to do, what I'd like to see. I know that I want to play for championships again. But I really can't tell you what's going happen. You have to wait and find out. That's the million-dollar question.''

IN OR OUT?

Actually, it's the $120 million-plus question for Wade, who plans to opt out of the final year of his contract next summer and become the most sought-after NBA free agent this side of LeBron James.

But first, there's a little formality that stands between Wade's potential finale with the Heat and his freedom. A little thing called this season, an 82-game stretch that gets under way Wednesday with Miami's opener against the New York Knicks.

The Heat's offseason focus has been on the development of young players Daequan Cook, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers and the healthy return of veterans Jermaine O'Neal and James Jones. It's that group that will determine how much better -- or worse -- the Heat will be this season after a 43-39 season that ended with a first-round playoff loss to Atlanta.

``We've said all along that our improvement this season has to be organic, has to come from within,'' second-year coach Erik Spoelstra said. ``We're starting to see tangible improvement.''

But there's a bigger reality looming.

BIG GAMBLE

During the next eight months, Heat president Pat Riley will brace for one of two predicaments. There is the Armageddon, a colossal rebuilding job that awaits should Riley's 2010 grand gamble backfire and Wade bolts.

Or, should Wade re-sign for the maximum of $120 million for six seasons, there's the amnesty of all being forgiven for making the franchise's marquee player burn two seasons of his prime.

That's what makes the 2009-10 season significant for the Heat. It will be as much about the Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. Retention Program as it is about the standings. With next year's salary cap and spending flexibility cleared of all but two guaranteed contracts, Riley is waging the future on Wade.

``We've had a plan in place we're sticking to without deviating from it,'' Riley said of his intentions to re-sign Wade and land one or two other prime free agents from a 2010 class that will include Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer. ``Dwyane is the main part of that. He knows what we're trying to do, understands it's about putting in place what we need around him to contend for championships.''

Essentially, that places everybody on the Heat's roster this season in what amounts to a contract year. If the Heat can build on last season's 43-39 season and return to the playoffs, good. But the numbers that truly matter most are the ones that come into focus after the season.

It's a make-or-break season for center Jermaine O'Neal, who will earn $23 million in the final year of his deal. O'Neal and power forward Udonis Haslem make up about $30 million of the roughly $40 million Miami has in expiring contracts.

``There's a lot at stake for a lot of guys in here,'' O'Neal said as he looked across a practice court crowded with Heat teammates. ``Nothing is guaranteed. A lot of us might be back or we all might be gone. What you focus on is the moment you're in right here and right now.''

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