AUGUST 17, 10:59am: The original article at ESPN.com on Wade and the Bulls has been updated (hat tip to Blog A Bull) — without a source to confirm his initial claim, Friedell no longer suggests a buyout is “expected.” While Friedell has backed off that assertion, he still says that “nobody would be surprised” if Wade decides he wants out of Chicago and reaches a buyout agreement with the team in the next few months.
AUGUST 16, 3:18pm: Few NBA teams are expected to drop in the standings this season like the Bulls, who lost two of their top players this summer when they traded Jimmy Butler and waived Rajon Rondo. The third member of last season’s “three alphas” – Dwyane Wade – also isn’t long for Chicago, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN, who writes that Wade and the Bulls are expected to reach a buyout agreement at some point in the coming months.
Wade, who inked a two-year deal with the Bulls in 2016, had a player option for the 2017/18 season, giving him the opportunity to head elsewhere in free agency if he so chose. Wade opted in before the Bulls traded Butler and cut Rondo, though it’s not clear if those moves would have impacted his decision anyway — exercising his player option puts Wade in line to earn $23.8MM this season, and he wouldn’t have matched that annual salary if he’d opted out and signed a new contract.
Still, shortly after Wade opted in and the Bulls opted to rebuild, rumors begin to swirl about a possible buyout. For their part, the Bulls have attempted to put those rumors to rest. Executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson suggested in June that any buyout agreement would have to be “advantageous” to the franchise, and head coach Fred Hoiberg said last month that he didn’t expect Wade to be bought out.
At the time Hoiberg made his comments in July, Friedell indicated there was a “widespread belief” among Bulls officials that Wade wouldn’t be willing to give up enough of his $23.8MM salary to make a buyout worthwhile for the club. Considering Friedell is now writing that an agreement is expected to happen at some point in the next few months, he may have heard something in recent weeks that influenced his view on the subject, though it’s worth noting that he doesn’t cite any sources.
There’s no real deadline for the Bulls and Wade to reach a buyout agreement, though veterans are generally bought out before March 1 so that they retain their playoff eligibility. As Friedell details, Chicago has shifted to full-fledged rebuilding mode and shouldn’t mind finishing among the NBA’s cellar-dwellers in 2017/18. Parting ways with Wade would help out the Bulls in their race to the bottom, so it’s possible the team won’t wait until February to explore a buyout.
Cavs gonna finish the year with a starting 5 of Rose-Wade-LeBron-Love-Thompson
Also wouldn’t rule out Denver, a team he strongly considered in free agency, or projected bottom 3 playoff teams in the east like Charlotte, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Philly.
Or who knows, maybe he goes to golden state as a bench player for the min
How about Reinsdorf trading Wade to Houston for Altuve, Springer, or Gallo? Bulls have no chance at winning for a while, but the White Sox do. Think outside the box.
The influencing thing would work better in Philly than Milwaukee I think… Mil has neen drafting a different kind of body, while Philly took Fultz.
That would be hilarious if Wade joined the Pistons. They decided against Melo and Wade and chose Darko so getting Wade at the end of his career on one knee, seems fitting for closure.
That will be a worse starting 5 than the Cav’s last season.
Rose-Wade-LeBron-Thompson-Love would be among the worst shooting starting 5s in the NBA. That’s 5th seed, first round exit caliber team at best.
And that’s if rose and wade stay healthy
Would be great 5 years ago
That’s so funny when everybody talks about “coming home” and loyalty, but if something goes sideways they abandon ship. Bulls lost its core, Wade will be gone in few months, if he comes back to Miami it’s gonna be laughable, I’d be pissed. LeBron might be on his way out, because of 1-3 in the finals and that doesn’t seems to change that year. Same thing was in Miami. This guy is just unlucky.
The difference is that the management didn’t believe in the core, the team didn’t go sideways
Lakers???
We’ll take wade anytime!
Who cares? His knees won’t hold up much longer
I know he wouldn’t do it but he’d be fun in New Orleans.
Would be a great teacher in Philly. He does have some left in the tank but let’s be real here. The young guys could learn so much from him.
True, if you consider teaching young guys how to play cards and sit on the bench an asset.
Card playing is underrated.
What a hater. Hate Wade and Rose because they weren’t MJ. Hate LeBron because he’s definitely not MJ and you’re scared it means he’s better than MJ.
Who ever signs him be prepared for no defense. He will get the occasional steal and block because of his experience but he takes a lot of plays off.