Dwyane Wade Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hoiberg, Bulls Not Expecting Dwyane Wade Buyout

July 10th, 2017 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after Dwyane Wade committed to picking up his $23.8MM option for the 2017/18 season, the Bulls decided to rebuild their roster, trading Jimmy Butler and cutting Rajon Rondo. While Wade is the last player standing out of Chicago’s “three alphas” from last season, no buyout is imminent, and head coach Fred Hoiberg doesn’t believe one is coming, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.

“As of right now, no. I don’t see that,” Hoiberg said of a possible Wade buyout.

Hoiberg’s stance on the matter echoes that of executive VP John Paxson, who addressed the issue in a press conference last month when the team introduced its newly-acquired players from the Butler deal. Asked about a buyout, Paxson said that any arrangement with Wade “would absolutely have to benefit” the franchise.

As Friedell notes, there’s a “widespread belief” among team officials that Wade won’t be willing to give up enough of his $23.8MM salary to make a move worthwhile for the Bulls. It’s possible that the two sides explore that possibility later in the offseason, or after February’s trade deadline, but Hoiberg indicated he’d like to see Wade stick around and provide veteran leadership for a team that has gotten younger this offseason.

“Dwyane, he’s going to have an important role on this team as a mentor,” Hoiberg said. “He’s going to obviously play for us and hopefully play well. And take the role of leadership; it’s going to be very important with him.”

Bulls Notes: Wade, Butler, Team’s Direction

June 27th, 2017 at 8:41pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Bulls unveiled their return from last week’s Jimmy Butler trade as Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, Lauri Markkanen, took the stage on Tuesday. Shipping out the so-called “face” of the franchise in Butler signaled a change in direction for the Bulls.

Despite making the postseason in eight of the last nine seasons, general manager John Paxson believes that the team is well prepared for rebuild with young talent, ABC News’ Andrew Seligman writes.

“I’m excited about what the environment in this building is going to be like going forward,” Paxson said. “I’m not worried about perception. We understand this could take time, it’s a process. But as long as these kids can play hard and compete our fans will appreciate them, and we’ll get better.”

Dunn is coming off an inconsistent rookie campaign; LaVine missed most of the second half of 2016/17 due to a torn ACL; and Markkanen is a heralded but unproven prospect. With decisions on veterans Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade looming, Chicago is poised to assemble a young team with potentially great upside.

Below are additional notes surrounding the Bulls:

Speaking of Butler, the now-former Bulls All-Star addressed his trade to the Timberwolves last week to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times and vented some frustrations about the ordeal. The 27-year-old said being the “face” of the team “doesn’t mean a damn thing,” He also added that despite any label, he learned that ” eventually you’re going to see the back of his head as he’s leaving town, so no thanks.” Butler added that he is not mad at being traded but wishes some things went differently.
In a separate piece, Cowley writes that Wade came out a winner after the Butler trade. The three-time NBA champion picked up his $23.8MM player option for 2017/18 early and that gives him power. Cowley notes that Wade planned to press Bulls brass on a buyout if Butler was dealt and since that’s the case, Wade’s days with his hometown Bulls could be numbered

Bulls Notes: Wade, Rondo, LaVine, Butler

June 27th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that Dwyane Wade has opted into the final year of his contract with the Bulls, the team doesn’t appear to have much interest in buying him out, as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes, Executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson told reporters today that the Bulls and Wade’s camp haven’t discussed a buyout for the veteran guard, and for the club to consider such a move, it would “have to be advantageous for us.” In other words, Wade would likely have to give back a significant chunk of his $23.8MM salary for the 2017/18 season if he wants out of Chicago.

Here are a few more Bulls-related notes:

At season’s end, the Bulls sounded committed to bringing back Rajon Rondo, whose contract for 2017/18 is mostly non-guaranteed. However, the team sounds less certain now, and Paxson said that decision is still being weighed. “We’re going to sit down with [Rondo’s agent] Bill [Duffy] and talk through [things],” Paxson said today, per Friedell. “We do understand that veterans are important for a young basketball team. The right veterans. The guys that are good teammates, are supportive of the young guys, and continue to teach them how to be pros. Those are things we’ll be addressing.”
While it’s possible the Bulls will cut Rondo and try to re-sign him at a lower number than his current $13MM+ salary, that looks like a long shot, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
Zach LaVine, who was introduced as a Bull today, is optimistic about his rehab process, but doesn’t want to put an exact timetable on his return to the court, writes Friedell. “I’m going to be safe,” LaVine said. “The main thing is always being safe. And I always have to take care of myself and this franchise as well, so I’m going to be safe. I’m going to do everything I can physically to get back, and then when I’m at that point, I’m going to be ready.”
Shortly after he was traded to the Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler spoke to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Although Butler said he wasn’t mad at the Bulls, he admitted he didn’t exactly love the way the franchise handled the process. “I guess being called the face of an organization isn’t as good as I thought,” Butler added. “We all see where being the so-called face of the Chicago Bulls got me.”

Southeast Notes: Howard, Billups, Frazier, Wade

June 24th, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Dwight Howard, recently traded to the Hornets from the Hawks, discussed his excitement to be in Charlotte, relays Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Howard spoke glowingly about his new owner, Michael Jordan:

“I’d just done a 2 ½-hour workout. After I was done talking to him, I wanted to jump back into the gym. That’s how he motivated me. You’re talking about the greatest basketball player to ever play. For him to call you on the phone and say, ‘I believe in you!’ ”

Howard also discussed his reunion with head coach Steve Clifford, his disappointment of lasting just one season with him hometown team, and how he will make a difference in the Charlotte community.

Here’s more from the Southeast division:

Hawks GM Travis Schlenk says that three or four teams were interested in trading for Dwight Howard, but the Hornets made the best offer, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal- Constitution.
While the Cavaliers await a decision from Chauncey Billups, another team covets the former NBA Finals MVP’s wisdom in the front office: the Hawks, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Billups recently interviewed for a front-office position with Atlanta.
Hornets GM Rich Cho says the team will be looking for a backup point guard and more overall depth in free agency, tweets Jordan Greer of The Sporting News.
The Magic‘s new president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, explains why the team traded two picks in a deep draft, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Weltman explained: “We felt that at a certain point that the draft flattened out, and once we got past that point, we had three more picks, and we didn’t want to bring four rookies in. So what we did is we tried to identify kids that we thought could possibly be there later that we liked as much [as a] higher [pick]. And could we defer those assets [and] move them along to maybe turn them into future pieces and still come up with something that we liked?”
The Wizards believe that Tim Frazier can contribute right away, reports Chase Hughnes of CSN Mid-Atlantic, in an interesting piece full of great quotes from Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld and head coach Scott Brooks.
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that Dwyane Wade, who has come up often as a Heat target this offseason, is not necessarily leaving Chicago so soon despite the Bulls’ obvious entrance into rebuilding mode after dealing Jimmy Butler on draft day.

Cavaliers Notes: Griffin, Luxury Tax, Rabb

June 23rd, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Austin Kent

Former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin wanted more autonomy when it came to managing his team’s roster, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com says. The scribe responded to a question about Griffin’s recent exit in a mailbag with readers.

Per Vardon, franchise owner Dan Gilbert had a tendency to get in the way of trades and contracts and the philosophical differences between the two parties were evident.

Vardon confirms that Griffin was also seeking a significant raise but doesn’t suspect that any negotiations even reached that far considering that they didn’t appear to be on the same page to begin with.

The $2MM reduction in payroll room the league hinted at with its latest salary cap projection could cost the Cavaliers as much as $10MM in luxury tax damage, Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today writes. The Cavs will be hit with the repeater tax in 2017/18.
The Cavaliers had a deal on the table to acquire the 34th pick in the draft last night with the intention of drafting Ivan Rabb, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets. Rabb ultimately went 35th overall.
The Cavaliers could look to add Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. While the scenario sounds, and probably is, farfetched, Vardon suggests that their personal ties to LeBron James could land them in Ohio if they are ultimately bought out by their respective clubs.

Bulls Notes: Rebuild, Rondo, Mirotic, Wade

June 23rd, 2017 at 12:39am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls executives Gar Forman and John Paxson spoke to reporters late on Thursday night in the wake of the blockbuster trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota and signaled a full-scale rebuild in Chicago. As Nick Friedell of ESPN.com tweets, Paxson explicitly used the R-word (“rebuild”) in his comments.

As a result of the its new direction, the club will remain “patient and disciplined” this offseason, according to Paxson, who says the Bulls won’t be investing big money in players unless there’s a long-term fit (Twitter link via Friedell).

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Forman said tonight that it’s not yet clear whether the Bulls will pick up Rajon Rondo‘s option (Twitter link via Friedell). According to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), there has been no discussion yet of a buyout for Rondo, but it’s “clearly a possibility” after the Butler trade. Rondo’s contract has a built-in buyout, since it’s only guaranteed for $3MM right now, so the Bulls would have to waive him by June 30 to avoid being on the hook for another $10MM+.
Despite using the seventh overall pick on Lauri Markkanen, a stretch four, the Bulls intend to re-sign Nikola Mirotic as a restricted free agent, Paxson said (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune).
Although he won’t be thrilled to see Butler depart, Dwyane Wade is still picking up his player option for 2017/18, as Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com tweets. Paxson suggested on Thursday night that if Wade had serious concerns about the team’s direction, he might not have exercised that option (Twitter link via Sam Smith of Bulls.com).
The Bulls believe newly-acquired Zach LaVine is ahead of schedule in his rehab from an ACL tear, but don’t yet know when he’ll get back on the court, tweets Friedell.
How did Butler react to Thursday’s deal? “He’s great,” a source close to the forward tells Goodwill (Twitter link). “He’s with Thibs now.” Butler’s agent, Bernard Lee, confirmed that his client “has definitely embraced the opportunity to look forward” (Twitter link via Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press).

Eastern Notes: Howard, Hawks, Wade, Wizards

June 21st, 2017 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Tuesday’s trade between Atlanta and Charlotte, which sent Dwight Howard to the Hornets for an underwhelming package that included Miles Plumlee and Marco Belinelli, signaled to many that Howard’s value is at a low point. While that may be the case, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford is confident that he can help Howard become an All-Star caliber player again, as Steve Reed of The Associated Press (via The Charlotte Observer) details.

“I know what he has to do to play well,” Clifford said of Howard, whom he coached as an assistant in Orlando and Los Angeles. “He understands that I know him. I know his game. Being around him in different settings I have a feel for what he likes to do… There is no reason he can’t get back to playing at a really high level.”

While we wait to see if Clifford can help Howard rebound after his stint in Atlanta ended with the big man complaining about his role, here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference:

The Howard trade between Atlanta and Charlotte will leave the Hawks with a modest trade exception. Atlanta’s new TPE will be worth $4,346,942, and will be the fourth – and largest – trade exception available to the team, as our list of TPEs shows.
Asked why he decided to exercise his player option to remain with the Bulls, a candid Dwyane Wade told David Aldridge of TNT that there were “24 million reasons” (Twitter link). Wade’s option will pay him $23.8MM next season.
The Wizards have reportedly expressed interest in Paul George, and John Wall is on board with the idea of acquiring the Pacers star. However, a trade for George is a long shot, since a sign-and-trade of Otto Porter would be tricky and the inclusion of Bradley Beal is, of course, a non-starter, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.

Jimmy Butler Warned Not To Come To Cleveland?

June 21st, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:38pm: A team source tells Amico Hoops that there’s no truth to the idea that members of the Cavs are telling Butler it’s in his best interest not to come to Cleveland.

11:28am: Several Cavaliers players have advised Bulls star Jimmy Butler to resist any trade to Cleveland, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Unidentified players, who had been encouraging Butler to seek a deal to the Cavs, are now telling him to stay away from the sudden chaos in the organization after the decision not to re-sign GM David Griffin.

Butler had planned to ask Bulls GM Gar Forman and VP of basketball operations John Paxson to find a way to get him to Cleveland, Cowley reports. However, he apparently changed his mind Tuesday afternoon after being contacted by a few Cavaliers.

There are no other teams that Butler wants to join, including the Celtics, according to Cowley, and Chicago’s front office has set an asking price so high that it makes a deal virtually impossible.

Dwyane Wade‘s decision on Tuesday to opt in next season for $23.8MM is also related to the situation in Cleveland, Cowley states. Because Wade is a close friend of LeBron James, he understands how angry James is about Griffin’s departure and knew that Butler is likely to remain a Bull.

Cowley also reports a likely breakup of “The Three Alphas” in Chicago, with Butler and Wade pushing for an alternative to Rajon Rondo. While they like Rondo personally, both stars would prefer a point guard who can shoot from the outside to help space the court.

Butler, who played with Kyle Lowry at the Olympics last year, has been talking to the Raptors free agent about coming to Chicago, and Kyrie Irving has indicated that he might seek a trade to escape a possible shakeup in Cleveland.

Irving’s asking price would be too steep for the Bulls, Cowley speculates, so a third team would have to be involved.

Dwyane Wade To Pick Up Option, Stay With Bulls

June 20th, 2017 at 5:20pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Dwyane Wade has informed the Bulls that he will pick up his player option for next season, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago reports (link via Twitter). Wade’s option for 2017/18 is worth $23.8MM.

Wade, who will turn 36 next January, remains productive, but is coming off a season in which his numbers reached their lowest point since his rookie year. The 14-year veteran averaged 18.3 PPG with a career-low .434 FG% in 60 games for Chicago, failing to earn an All-Star nod for the first time since 2003/04.

Given his declining production, Wade would have had a very hard time finding an offer on the open market that would pay him anything close to the value of his option with the Bulls, so it’s no surprise that he’ll exercise it.

Interestingly, Wade’s decision comes at a time when the Bulls are reportedly becoming more open to the possibility of trading Jimmy Butler. Reports have indicated that Wade has little interest in going through a rebuild, so if Chicago does blow up its roster by moving Butler in the coming days, it’s not out of the question that the team could look to move Wade as well — though his salary would make him a tricky trade chip.

For the time being, Wade is on track to return to a roster that features Butler and Rajon Rondo for at least one more year.

Luke Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dwyane Wade Leaning Toward Opting In With Bulls

June 20th, 2017 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

Dwyane Wade doesn’t have to make a final decision on his player option for 2017/18 until next Tuesday, but at this point he’s leaning toward exercising that option, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

Having signed last summer with the Bulls on a two-year deal that features an opt-out for year two, Wade would earn $23.8MM if he picks up his option for next season. While it’s possible that he could find an offer that exceeds that total figure on the open market, he’s unlikely to top that annual salary.

Wade, who will turn 36 next January, remains productive, but is coming off a season in which his numbers reached their lowest point since his rookie year. The 14-year veteran averaged 18.3 PPG with a career-low .434 FG% in 60 games for Chicago, failing to earn an All-Star nod for the first time since 2003/04.

Wade’s player option decision is complicated by the fact that he has no interest in being part of a rebuilding situation in Chicago, as Shelburne notes. Although a Jimmy Butler trade remains unlikely, Wade’s All-NBA teammate has been the subject of plenty of rumors already this week, so it makes sense for Wade to hold off on his player option decision until after the draft, in case the Bulls decide to move Butler.

Still, sources have indicated to Shelburne that Wade is leaning toward exercising his option for 2017/18 no matter what the Bulls do in the next week. It’s possible that stance is meant to discourage the Bulls from trading Butler, and Wade will continue to monitor that situation. However, the 12-time All-Star genuinely likes playing in his hometown, and has little interest in taking a significant pay cut after settling for discounts for several years in Miami, per Shelburne.