MIAMI (AP) -Dwyane Wade has a news flash: He doesn't think he's getting traded.
Speaking out Thursday in an effort to defuse numerous reports out of Chicago suggesting the Miami Heat may be willing to trade him to his hometown Bulls, Wade said he's been assured the notion is completely erroneous.
Wade even said he and Heat president Pat Riley have spoken about the topic and to ensure that both remain driven by the same goal - rebuilding Miami into a contender once again.
``I don't worry about that kind of stuff,'' Wade said in Chicago, where he was holding his annual basketball camp for children. ``I never understood why people even worry about it because it is uncontrollable. Your name is going to come up. Things are going to be said. It's not a bad thing. That means you're wanted somewhere or it means people think highly of you. I just laugh at it.''
There's been considerable intrigue about the Bulls and Heat in recent weeks, since they hold the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively, in the June 26 NBA draft.
Neither team has been willing to tip its hand about what it wants to do on draft night, but Wade has been saying for weeks that he is committed to getting his body healthy in time for next season and erasing the stigma of Miami's 15-67 record this past season - one where he and just about every other projected Heat starter missed considerable time with injuries.
``While Chicago is home, my commitment is to the Miami Heat,'' Wade, a four-time All-Star and the MVP of the 2006 NBA finals, said in a statement released to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Wade will be back in Miami this weekend for some charity events, taking a quick break from his rehab regimen in Chicago. He'll be at USA Basketball's Olympic selection minicamp in Las Vegas later this month, and is planning another basketball camp in South Florida in early July.
He has long said the camps are one of the most fulfilling things he does each offseason.
``I always wanted to be a part of one myself and when I was young I never had the opportunity to,'' Wade said. ``Then a parent came up and told me how much it meant to them and they were in tears. From that moment on, I was sold. Every year I just try to do something and hopefully touch the heart of one of these kids and give them a vision and hope that they can make it and that somebody believes in them.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
