Dwyane Wade just signed a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the future Hall of Famer hopes to retire a member of the Miami Heat. 

On Wednesday, Dwyane Wade cleared waivers after the Chicago Bulls facilitated a buyout, and the 35-year-old finalized a one-year, $2.3 million deal to join the Cleveland Cavaliers and reunite with LeBron James. He, however, is hoping to make a return to Miami before retiring.

“Miami, the door’s always unlocked,” said Wade to The Associated Press. “One day I want to retire in a Miami Heat jersey. I don’t know what will happen, but I definitely want to make sure that when I decide to hang it up, that jersey is on. Whether it’s being back there or signing a one-day deal like Paul Pierce, I want to make sure that I go out the way I came in.”

Wade spent 13 seasons in South Beach cultivating his Hall of Fame career. Miami got him fifth overall in the 2003 draft, and the only player going before Wade in a re-draft is LeBron James. All of his accolades came during his time with the Heat, and those include 12 All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, three All-Defensive teams and, most importantly, three championships. The first came in 2006.

A 24-year-old Wade dominated that regular season and rapidly rose to stardom. He averaged 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals, but Flash reached another level against the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals. He, by himself, pulled Miami out of 2-0 deficit. Over the next four victories, Flash totaled 42, 36, 43 and 36 points, respectively, bringing his average to 34.7.

He was Miami’s lone bright spot until the Big Three formed in 2011. Over the years in between, though, Wade was battling Kobe Bryant to be the NBA’s best shooting guard, and his downfall would be his inability to stay healthy. There’s the debate we can have that Prime Wade was better than Prime Kobe, and I’m 100 percent here for it. Bryant was better for longer, but Wade at his peak was just terrifying. He was a two-way star who could play both guard positions without a problem, and he put together a historic campaign in 2009.

Only two players in league history have put together a season with averages surpassing 30 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals — Michael Jordan (1988-89) and Dwyane Wade (2008-09). Wade also added 1.3 blocks, just for good measure. He finished third in MVP voting behind Kobe and LeBron James, who was more than deserving of that honor. However, I’m not sure how Bryant managed to finish between the two.

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The rest is pretty much history. Wade would win two more titles after handing the reins to LeBron, but he was still just as vital to Miami’s success. His departure from South Beach was partly because of the front office, and more specifically, Pat Riley. The two sides just couldn’t agree on a contract. Flash returned to Chicago as a homecoming but also because the Bulls needed a veteran presence. Jimmy Butler cemented himself as the alpha on that team and Wade was more than willing to take a slightly lesser role to complement Butler. Now, neither team is in Chicago, who wants to start their rebuild.

Dwyane Wade is, without a doubt, on the back nine of his career. He’s far removed from the player he used to be, and I have a funny feeling he’ll be calling it quits sooner rather than later. A one-day deal to retire a member of the Heat would be the least they could do, considering he rose that franchise from the dead and his the best player ever to put on their threads.

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