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ORLANDO -- Miami's Dwyane Wade just raised the intrigue -- and opened a world of possibilities -- over his pending free agency when he was asked Wednesday afternoon who he really would like to play with in the NBA.Wade will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, allowing him to play anywhere he wants.
"If I could pick one player in the league today to play with -- and most people think I'd say LeBron James -- I would pick Dwight (Howard)," Wade told FanHouse Wednesday after practice at Amway Arena. "I'd love for that to happen at some point. Dwight is already close right here in Orlando. People who say it couldn't happen (us playing on the same team), they don't know. I've learned in this league that anything is possible."
Wade and his Heat teammates are in Orlando to play the Magic Wednesday night. He and Howard spent considerable time together last summer at the Olympic Games, then this summer filming both a T-Mobile commercial and a movie that will be released soon.
Wade already played in Miami with former Magic center Shaquille O'Neal, and they won the 2006 NBA title together. Howard has replaced O'Neal -- now in Cleveland -- as the league's best big man. Although Wade won the league's scoring title last season, the Heat have struggled since O'Neal's departure in 2008.
"I've played with a dominant center before, and there's nothing like it. It changes the whole game. It's why I'd love to play with Dwight. He's a phenomenal center who has only just scratched the surface of where he'll be," Wade said. "And he's the type of guy you'd really like to be around."
Despite Wade putting Howard atop his wish-list, making it work under the NBA's salary cap would be difficult. Only a handful of teams will have the salary cap space to fit Wade onto their roster this summer. The Magic are not one of those teams.
To obtain him, the Magic would have to send an estimated $18 million worth of player salaries to Miami as part of a sign-and-trade deal this summer. The Magic do have forward Rashard Lewis and guard Vince Carter, who will be making $20.5 and $17.1 million, respectively next season.
"I bet Vince Carter never thought he'd be playing one day with Dwight. I never thought I'd have the chance to play with Shaquille O'Neal, but it happened," Wade said. "It happened in Boston, with KG, (Kevin Garnett), Ray Allen and Paul Pierce all coming together.
Magic general manager Otis Smith is not permitted to discuss pending free agency for another team's players, according to NBA rules but the idea certainly intrigues him.
"I said from Day One that I wanted to be in Miami, that maybe I could get certain players to come to Miami, but at the same time, this is my only chance at free agency," Wade said. "There are a lot of possibilities out there. And nothing is impossible."
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