CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Dwyane Wade stepped away from the team, missing Friday's win against the Indiana Pacers, to mourn the death of his agent Henry Thomas -- a man Wade viewed as a "father figure," according to sources close to him.

Wade wrote a heartfelt Instagram message about Thomas on Saturday, complete with a picture of the two shortly after Wade was drafted by the Miami Heat in 2003.

"I'm writing this letter to you as I cry both tears of SADNESS and tears of JOY," Wade said. "I know -- i know -- I can hear your voice saying, 'Come on my man. You got this!' I can picture your face and feel your hugs in so so many moments in my life. Whether it's you hugging me and saying how proud you are of me or congrats on winning a NBA championship or you hugging me and saying everything's gonna be alright -- we will get thru this. I can't thank you enough for these last 15 years."

Thomas represented a number of NBA players, including Wade, Udonis Haslam, Chris Bosh and Shaun Livingston, who also sent out a message of gratitude on Twitter Saturday.

But as Wade wrote, his relationship was much stronger than the typical player-agent bond.

"You should be so proud of the job you did on this young misguided kid from Chicago," Wade said. "I was a young 21 when we met and i needed a Man's love. My dad and I had things to work out and I was leaving my father figure Coach Crean. So you stepped in right away and became that MAN I desperately needed.

"I hate saying my 'agent' because you have always been way more than that to me. I cry these tears because selfishly I wanted you to be there when I got my jersey retired or when I gave my hall of fame speech or when I had a daughter. I got so many questions on how to raise a strong, confident, intelligent, independent black woman. I hope you don't mind but I will still be calling on you for guidance. I love you Henry (Hank) Thomas. THANK YOU for loving me right back. Be at peace. We (your family) got this!!!"

The Cavs don't know when Wade will rejoin the team. Head coach Tyronn Lue and general manager Koby Altman told Wade to "take his time."

"However much time he needs to take to get over what he's going through, then he'll be back," Lue said.