Wade had surgery on his left knee and left shoulder in mid-May, and he said the shoulder requires six month to rehabilitate and heal. Training camp starts in early October, and the season begins later that month.

"I'm a fast healer, but my doctor really wants to make sure I'm well and I'm healthy and we don't have to go through this process again," Wade said. "He'd rather for me not to rush back to get in training camp and maybe aggravate something early in the season."

Wade, the 2006 NBA finals MVP, dislocated the shoulder in February and returned two months later, only to be hobbled by knee tendinitis. The Heat were swept out of the playoffs by Chicago in the first round.