Dwyane Wade staying around the NBA. And Barkley predicts Herro to win Rookie of the Year
Dwyane Wade’s first offseason as a retired player is over. But his first season as a retired player is now beginning.
Wade, 37, plans to remain around the NBA.
It was announced Tuesday night that Wade has reached a multiyear agreement with WarnerMedia and will appear on Turner Sports’ TNT as an on-air commentator for NBA and college basketball programming.
Wade will make appearances as a regular NBA analyst for TNT’s Tuesday studio coverage, alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Candace Parker. Wade will also make studio appearances at the NCAA Final Four and national championship as part of Turner Sports’ and CBS Sports’ combined coverage of the event.
Wade made his debut Tuesday night as part of TNT’s coverage of opening night in the NBA.
“I had too much going on in my household, so I didn’t have the audio on,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following Wednesday’s morning shootaround when asked about Wade’s TNT debut. “I could just see him at the table, and he looks like a movie star up there. He has charisma for days, so I’m sure he did great. People were texting me. But it was cool to see him back up on the stage, and then to see him and Shaq together again.”
In addition, Wade will contribute as creative director on a number of special projects for Bleacher Report. Wade and his 59th & Prairie Entertainment production company have also reached a development deal with WarnerMedia and will be creating a number of projects over the length of the agreement, with additional details on the projects to be announced at a later date.
“I am truly honored to be a part of this TNT family,” Wade posted on Instagram. “I’ve sat back and watched you guys for years create TV magic. I’ve watched this network give former players a voice and current players a platform. As a leader, I’ve always tried to empower and uplift the next generation and this platform gives me the stage to do that. Thank you again to the Turner family for this incredible opportunity!!”
Wade averaged 15 points on 43.3 percent shooting in a sixth-man role with the Heat last season, which marked his 16th and final NBA season. He has split his time mostly between Miami and Los Angeles since his playing career came to an end in April.
Important date for Nunn
It comes as no surprise, but guard Kendrick Nunn was on the Heat’s opening night roster.
That alone is an accomplishment for Nunn, who went undrafted. But earning a spot on Miami’s opening night roster also triggered a $150,000 guarantee, which means $300,000 of Nunn’s $1.4 million salary for 2019-20 is now guaranteed.
An additional $150,000 guarantee is triggered if Nunn is on the roster on Dec. 1. His full $1.4 million salary becomes guaranteed on Jan. 10, when all NBA contracts are guaranteed for the season.
Status update
Wing Jimmy Butler (personal reasons) was ruled out for Wednesday’s opener against the Grizzlies. He participated in the team’s morning shootaround, but a personal matter arose later in the afternoon that required him to be away from the team.
“Jimmy is not going to be here tonight. It’s for personal reasons,” Spoelstra said, declining to give a specific reason for Butler’s absence. “Everything is fine. Everything is good. He won’t be here tonight.”
Forward Udonis Haslem (wrist) participated in Wednesday morning’s shootaround, but he was also unavailable for the opener. Guard Dion Waiters (suspension) and forward James Johnson (conditioning) were ruled out, too.
Waiters’ one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team is set to end Thursday. Whether he will play in either of the games (Saturday vs. Bucks and Sunday vs. Timberwolves) on the Heat’s upcoming trip is still to be determined.
In response to an Instagram post questioning why Waiters won’t accept a bench role, Waiters posted Tuesday: “It’s not my ego. I’ll play whateva role it’s has nothing to do with basketball. I seen the writing on the wall.”
Hours after news of Waiters’ suspension surfaced Saturday night, he posted on his Instagram story: “Eventually the truth will come to the light.” Waiters’ account also responded elsewhere to an Instagram post with, “I would win to if I had Bron & wade plus bosh,” in reference to Spoelstra’s success coaching LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the Heat’s Big 3 era.
To a comment that read, “[Tyler] Herro as a rookie is far and away better than dion,” Waiters responded by commenting “lol.”
▪ TNT analyst Charles Barkley predicted Tuesday night that Heat guard Tyler Herro will be the Rookie of the Year.
“He’s the guy that makes all the big shots,” Barkley said on the broadcast of opening night in the NBA. “He has got, what we would say in the old days, swag.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 1:27 PM.
