Dwyane Wade to Bulls: SG Comments on Decision to Leave Heat

Dwyane Wade addressed reporters at his youth camp in South Florida on Saturday morning, and the Miami Heat legend reflected on his difficult decision to bolt for the Chicago Bulls following a reportedly acrimonious negotiating period with the team that drafted him in 2003.

"I'm trying to get used to the idea, but it's hard," Wade said, according to the Palm Beach Post's Anthony Chiang. "It's hard to get used to the idea of not being [in Miami]."

Wade agreed to a two-year, $47.5 million deal with his hometown Bulls, per The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"This was not an easy decision for me," he said, according to the Miami Herald's Ethan J. Skolnick. "I wish I had another month to make it."

Sklonick reported that Wade said he was "angry" with the way things played out, but the 12-time All-Star added that he's still on firm footing with Heat president Pat Riley and the team.

"There's going to be a lot of stuff that's said about me and Pat Riley," he said, per Chiang. "First and foremost, I love Pat Riley."

Wade also pledged his allegiance to the franchise with which he won three titles.

"I'm a Heat for life," he said, per Chiang. "I'll always be. I'm always going to be a Heat. I would be a fool to ever leave this city and this state."

Wade also said he is looking forward to suiting up in front of the Chicago faithful at the United Center.

"The last couple of years I have left to play, I wanted to live out a dream of mine," he said, according to Chiang.

Wade's homecoming will be one of the top storylines throughout the 2016-17 season, but his fit with the Bulls—who now feature Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler—is a bit strange, to say the least.

Head coach Fred Hoiberg has long preached the virtues of pushing the pace, but his squad is noticeably devoid of speed and floor-spacers at key positions. That's not to say Wade can't still be effective, however.

The 34-year-old averaged 19 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals last season while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, making him one of just 13 players who recorded 19 points, four boards, four dimes and a swipe on a nightly basis during the 2015-16 campaign.

Wade's average of 21.4 points per game in 14 postseason contests also represented his highest output since the 2011-12 playoffs.

Wade will have a chance to help lift the Bulls back to the postseason after their streak of seven straight playoff appearances was snapped during Hoiberg's first year at the helm.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.