While no one seems to have any idea which way LeBron James is leaning, Heat owner Micky Arison is extremely confident Dwyane Wade will return to the Heat.

“The bottom line is he has publicly and privately said that this is where he wants to be,” Arison told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Saturday.

“I believe him. I’m 95 percent sure that he would be here next year. You can never be 100.”

After James, Wade is the second-most intriguing name on the list of potential free agents this offseason. He has talked about the possibility of playing with James, but that could be in hopes of luring James to Miami.

The fact Arison’s comments come as the Heat are trying to enroll season ticket holders for next season has to be taken into account.

“I don’t ever think about the possibility of joining the Knicks,” Wade said after the Heat beat the Knicks on Christmas Day.

“I think of the possibility of the summer. It’s going to be a very tough summer thinking about where my future will be.”

One thing that could be working against the Heat is that they have failed to put Wade in position to win another title after their 2006 championship. The team expected to improve after getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs last season, but are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, one-half game behind the Bobcats for the final playoff spot.

“We went into the year thinking we’d make the playoffs. I still think we’re going to make the playoffs,” Arison said. “But there’s never a guarantee. I thought the team was better than last year’s team, with J.O. (Jermaine O’Neal) healthy, with Q (Quentin Richardson), especially early.”