MIAMI -- Four months after picking up Rasheed Wallace in 2004, Detroit won a championship. In its only season with Wallace, Boston was on the brink of a title two years ago before faltering late in Game 7 of the Finals against the Lakers.
Could Wallace end up being a final-piece guy for Miami?
The 6-foot-10 center-forward, who last played in the NBA during that 2009-10 season with the Celtics, worked out for the Heat last week in Miami. A source close to the situation said Wednesday that Wallace still hasn't decided whether to return to the NBA, but would weigh any possible Heat offer.
"It's something he may consider," said the source.
Heat guard Dwyane Wade knows about the team looking at Wallace, but he doesn't believe it's his place to offer input to the front office.
"I heard he was in," Wade, in his ninth year with Miami, said of Wallace's workout. "But certain things you stay out of.
"Management has always done a great job since I've been here. He's obviously a champion. He's somebody we've seen over the years who has an uncanny ability to do great things. But, obviously, that would be between him and upstairs. I really have no say in it."
Miami president Pat Riley has kept flexibility with his team's 15th roster spot. As the March 15 trade deadline approaches, the Heat are looking for a veteran big man.
If Wallace, 37, were to end up in Miami, the source doesn't believe it would be until after the trade deadline. There also is a one-week period after the deadline in which the Heat could sign a player who is bought out and would be eligible for the playoffs. Although it's a longshot, New Orleans center Chris Kaman is such a target.
"He's a pro," Heat guard James Jones said of the possibility of bringing in Wallace. "I don't think there's anything besides upside to having a guy like that on your team."
Wallace has averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds over 15 NBA seasons, making four All-Star Games. While he was known for picking up plenty of technicals, he was able to find his niche during 5 1/2 years in Detroit, where he also helped the Pistons reach Game 7 of the 2005 Finals before they lost to the Spurs.
The source said Wallace is remaining silent about his situation because he "doesn't want to cause a lot of hoopla" in the event he decides not to come out of retirement.
Atlanta guard Jerry Stackhouse, Wallace's former teammate at North Carolina, said he talked to Wallace in January and he claimed he wasn't coming back. Stackhouse was trying to convince Wallace to join the Hawks after they had lost center Al Horford on Jan. 11 for about four months due to a shoulder injury.
"I told him he needs to come down to the Hawks and he told me he wasn't thinking about doing anything," said Stackhouse, who like Wallace, played with the Tar Heels from 1993-95 before entering the NBA draft as a sophomore. "I wouldn't like to see (Wallace go to Miami). I might have to throw, like, some kind of filibuster in that move."
Stackhouse said he soon plans to touch base again with Wallace. That's because Stackhouse, who played the early part of last season with the Heat, doesn't want to see an Eastern Conference contender beef up its front line.
"He'd be another guy who would give them a different look than what they got," Stackhouse said of Wallace, if he were to join the Heat. "They really don't have a guy they could put at the five (center) that could stretch all the way to the three (small forward). That would create so much more space for those guys to slash and cut through. … Adding someone of that caliber to give you another dimension … definitely would bode well for them."
Stackhouse said Wallace now lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., and that he played regularly with him last summer in Stackhouse's summer league in nearby Durham. He believes Wallace still could do well in the NBA.
"Sheed can definitely still play," Stackhouse said of Wallace, who averaged 9.0 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Celtics in 2009-10. "He loves to play still. He loves to compete. … He'd be an asset for any team. It probably will take him a little bit of time to get into game shape, but his knowledge and understanding of the game is probably as high as it has ever been."
The Heat's 15th roster spot is currently occupied by rookie center Mickell Gladness, but his second 10-day contract expires Thursday, giving them the flexibility to decide what to do with it.
"I totally believe we have enough to do the job, and to get the job done," forward Chris Bosh said about Miami being able to win a title with its current cast. "But (Wallace is) a fantastic basketball player, one of my favorites growing up, and if tough decisions have to be made, you have to leave that up to the front office. If he joins us, that's great. If he doesn't, we move on."
Bosh is Miami's top post player, but the Heat had their struggles earlier this month when he missed three games due to the death of his grandmother.
"The (reserve) bigs that are getting opportunities now are coming along and getting better," guard Mike Miller said when asked about Wallace possibly being added. "But let's put it this way: In this league, I think if you ask anybody, you can never have enough bigs, especially guys who have been there before."
Wallace certainly has been there before.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter@christomasson
