Dwyane Wade is undoubtedly "Mr. Miami," as he has spent his whole career playing for the Miami Heat, but if you were to ask him or anyone else in the city who might be second among active players, the answer might just be Udonis Haslem. Haslem is now 35 years old and has played 12 seasons in the NBA, all 12 of which he have been a part of the Heat organization. He is in the final year of his two year deal with the Heat, which has caused speculation of a potential retirement, but he reportedly has no plans to retire anytime soon, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Haslem is set to make about $2.8 million next season, and while his minutes have recently declined big time, he reportedly still thinks he has enough left in him to play for a few more years.
"I feel pretty durable, I feel fine. I feel like I could go three or four more years depending on how Coach might need to use me or what the situation might be. When I was needed to go out there and play big minutes, I was able to put up some pretty decent numbers. If these guys need me, I've gotta make sure I stay ready," said Haslem.
The Heat are actually a very deep team at the power forward position this season with Chris Bosh as the starter and Amar'e Stoudemire and Josh McRoberts coming off the bench, so odds are that Haslem won't get much playing time next season. Last season, when the Heat were dealing with a lot of injuries at the four, Haslem only played 16 minutes per game and shot a decent 45 percent from the field.
Haslem has meant a lot to the Heat in his career since he has been part of three championship teams, and while he was never a great player, he has now become a leader and someone coach Erik Spoelstra could rely on to keep the rest of the players' minds right. For his career, Haslem has averaged 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field.
It is unknown at this point whether Haslem will be back with the Heat after his contract expires this year, but he clearly thinks he can still compete for at least a few more years, so a lot will depend on how the roster looks. Haslem has meant a lot to the Heat organization, so it wouldn't be too surprising for Miami to keep giving him contracts as long as he still proves he can play.
