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Dwyane Wade is wavering on playing for Team USA next summer, just like LeBron James.
The Miami Heat guard became the second Team USA player in a week to express a degree of uncertainty on the question of playing for the United States at the 2010 world championship in Turkey.
"I'm in-between," Wade told ESPN.com. "I mean, you know of course I want to be a part of the experience with most of the guys coming back, but I have to wait to see how this season goes before I can go forward with what I'm going to do this summer."
Like James -- and another veteran member of Team USA, Chris Bosh -- Wade has the right to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Wade indicated the timing of that decision will have an impact on his Team USA plans.
"Yes, if it comes down to that, and of course, it will for a couple guys," Wade said. "I've never been a free agent before, so it's kind of the unknown. The unknown is always exciting for a lot of people.
"We'll have to see, I don't know. I've never been in this position before, so we'll have to deal with it, so I don't know really how it will play out yet."
Last February, eight members of the so-called Redeem Team that won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics told Team USA director Jerry Colangelo they planned to play in Turkey, where the U.S. will try to win the world championship for the first time since 1994.
Anthony and Williams have publicly reiterated their commitments, but James appeared to waver late last month when he told reporters in Cleveland that his plans to film a movie, part of which is set in Las Vegas, could affect his plans.
"We haven't finished all the logistics of when the movie will be shot, if I decide to play on the team next summer, when I'll have to report. I don't have an answer right now," James said.
The world championship is scheduled for Aug. 28 to Sept. 12.
Tentative plans call for Team USA to hold a minicamp in Las Vegas in mid-July, pare the roster to 14 or 15 players, then hold another brief training camp in August before playing two exhibitions on American soil -- one in Las Vegas, the other possibly in New York -- before a pre-tournament European tour that will include stops in England, Spain and/or Greece.
Colangelo said he has known all along that the impending free agency of James, Wade, Bosh and others, including 2008 Olympians Carlos Boozer and Tayshaun Prince, could affect the makeup of the team.
"I take everything with a grain of salt, commitment or on the fence, because let's see what the upcoming season brings. That's why the speculation so early is just that, it isn't worth that much at this time," Colangelo said Tuesday in a phone interview with ESPN.com. "It puts more emphasis on how we're better prepared with more people in the pipeline, and they want to participate. That's the good news.
"We have to deal with each guy one by one, and when we need to make selections we'll have all that in front of us."
The Miami Heat guard became the second Team USA player in a week to express a degree of uncertainty on the question of playing for the United States at the 2010 world championship in Turkey.
"I'm in-between," Wade told ESPN.com. "I mean, you know of course I want to be a part of the experience with most of the guys coming back, but I have to wait to see how this season goes before I can go forward with what I'm going to do this summer."
Like James -- and another veteran member of Team USA, Chris Bosh -- Wade has the right to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Wade indicated the timing of that decision will have an impact on his Team USA plans.
"Yes, if it comes down to that, and of course, it will for a couple guys," Wade said. "I've never been a free agent before, so it's kind of the unknown. The unknown is always exciting for a lot of people.
"We'll have to see, I don't know. I've never been in this position before, so we'll have to deal with it, so I don't know really how it will play out yet."
Last February, eight members of the so-called Redeem Team that won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics told Team USA director Jerry Colangelo they planned to play in Turkey, where the U.S. will try to win the world championship for the first time since 1994.
Anthony and Williams have publicly reiterated their commitments, but James appeared to waver late last month when he told reporters in Cleveland that his plans to film a movie, part of which is set in Las Vegas, could affect his plans.
"We haven't finished all the logistics of when the movie will be shot, if I decide to play on the team next summer, when I'll have to report. I don't have an answer right now," James said.
The world championship is scheduled for Aug. 28 to Sept. 12.
Tentative plans call for Team USA to hold a minicamp in Las Vegas in mid-July, pare the roster to 14 or 15 players, then hold another brief training camp in August before playing two exhibitions on American soil -- one in Las Vegas, the other possibly in New York -- before a pre-tournament European tour that will include stops in England, Spain and/or Greece.
Colangelo said he has known all along that the impending free agency of James, Wade, Bosh and others, including 2008 Olympians Carlos Boozer and Tayshaun Prince, could affect the makeup of the team.
"I take everything with a grain of salt, commitment or on the fence, because let's see what the upcoming season brings. That's why the speculation so early is just that, it isn't worth that much at this time," Colangelo said Tuesday in a phone interview with ESPN.com. "It puts more emphasis on how we're better prepared with more people in the pipeline, and they want to participate. That's the good news.
"We have to deal with each guy one by one, and when we need to make selections we'll have all that in front of us."
