Riley finally 'reached out' to Wade with long email

The lines of communication are slowly being reopened between Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat president Pat Riley.

The lengthy, drawn out period of silence between the two parties is seemingly over, as Riley told reporters on Thursday prior to the Heat hosting Wade and the visiting Chicago Bulls that he "reached out" to his former franchise star by sending him a long rewritten email.

"I hope he got it," Riley said, according to the Sun Sentinal's Dave Hyde. "You know those guys changing phone numbers and emails ..."

Riley added that it wasn't a big deal that he had sent the email, nor that he and Wade hadn't spoken since the decision was made to head home to sign with the Bulls.

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"After 13 years together, we don't need a talk or email just to justify how we feel about each other," he said.

Related - Wade: If you're not with Pat Riley, you're against him

Wade hasn't gotten around to reading over what Riley sent as of yet, but nonetheless, any reported beef between him and his former employer is being overblown in his mind.

"I looked at my emails, I haven't gotten time to look at them," Wade said, according to CSN Chicago's Vincent Goodwill. "Nothing to squash in my eyes. I've spoken through you guys."

Thursday's matchup is the first time Wade will suit up at the American Airlines Arena as a member of the opposing side. He spent 13 seasons in South Beach after going fifth overall in the 2003 draft, helping the organization capture three championships during his tenure.