Dwyane Wade Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Wade, Waiters, Reed, Ellington

January 29th, 2017 at 11:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat could accommodate Dwyane Wade if he ever wants to return to Miami, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Wade has a player option for next season and may decide he doesn’t want to stay in Chicago with an underachieving and bickering team. The Heat could create room for Wade this summer when they expect to clear Chris Bosh‘s salary from their cap. Also, Tyler Johnson‘s new deal counts just $5.9MM against this cap for 2017/18, but balloons to $19MM a year later. Wade would get $23.8MM next season if he decides to opt in with the Bulls, but Winderman believes the Heat could bring him back to Miami if he agrees to take that money over two seasons.

There’s more news from South Florida:

Miami’s seven-game winning streak may make team president Pat Riley think about keeping some of the team’s upcoming free agents, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat will have about $40MM in cap room this summer, but re-signing Dion Waiters and Willie Reed, who can both opt out, along with James Johnson, who is on a one-year deal, would eat up a major part of that. All three have been key contributors to the team’s recent success.
The Heat’s streak happened because the team has de-emphasized player development, at least temporarily, Winderman states in a separate piece. With injuries keeping Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson out of the lineup, veterans like Waiters and Wayne Ellington are seeing more playing time. Elllington has a nonguaranteed salary of $6.27MM for next season that the Heat must decide on by July 12th.
Reed’s contract for next season calls for the league minimum, which he can easily exceed on the open market, Winderman writes in the same story. Reed is averaging 5.6 points and 4.9 rebounds through 39 games, mostly as a backup to Hassan Whiteside.

Bulls Notes: Wade, Rondo, Forman, Paxson

January 27th, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Bulls are recovering from a PR crisis, after a very eventful week. Unhappy with critical comments made by Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo posted a now-infamous Instagram rant, in which he cited the team’s “leadership” as the source of blame for recent struggles. The team held a private meeting earlier today, but only time will tell how much longer the Wade-Butler-Rondo unit will remain intact.

Here’s the latest out of Chicago:

Wade gave a measured response to Rondo’s critiques, refusing to retaliate in similar fashion. “I could take that as a personal attack,” Wade told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “But what’s that going to do for me? Come in and fight Rajon because he said his vets practiced every day? I’m 35. I’m not practicing every day. That’s very clear. Everyone has their own things. My vets did different things too. They were very successful with what they did in Boston.” Johnson noted that even young players were allowed to speak their piece in the team meeting.
It made no sense for Chicago to bring in Wade and Rondo on a one-year experiment, Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel writes. While the Bulls hold the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference, the team’s chemistry looks to have reached its nadir.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra shared his thoughts on the situation with Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Welcome to the NBA. That’s around every team. What I see is a team that’s in the eight spot right now. They have a very talented team. They have two players generating over 60 percent of their offense, one of them we know very well. That guy’s [Wade] a killer. They have 19 all-star appearances on that team. They have something we would love to be in right now, that’s that eight spot.”
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg and team GM Gar Forman noted their disappointment in the conduct of Wade, Butler, and Rondo. “It’s unacceptable to air your grievances through the media,” Hoiberg told reporters. “We talked about that in the very first meeting of the year. If you have issues, sit behind closed doors and talk about it, and we move forward and we get better because of it.” In a limited statement, Forman claimed to have dealt with the situation internally. Interestingly, Wade refused to address a question regarding Hoiberg’s control over the locker room.
Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune wondered aloud how Forman and John Paxson can keep their jobs as the team disintegrates.

Central Notes: Ellis, Rondo, Pistons

January 27th, 2017 at 1:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Monta Ellis‘ role with the Pacers keeps declining, notes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The 31-year-old shooting guard has been replaced in the starting lineup by Glenn Robinson III and has struggled to contribute off the bench. Ellis is averaging just 8.3 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season, and shoots just 29% from 3-point range. He’s also taking a career-low 9.3 shots per 36 minutes and his free throw and assist rates have both fallen. Ellis is signed for $11.23MM next season and has an $11.7MM player option that Lowe expects him to exercise in 2018/19.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Rajon Rondo said he wasn’t trying to be the “bad guy” when he called out Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relays (Twitter links). “I have a great relationship with the young guys [on the Bulls] and they had some things to say,” Rondo said. “When people express feelings relationships get better.”
Coach Fred Hoiberg said there will be no suspensions for any of the Bulls players as a result of the verbal battle between Wade, Butler and Rondo, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com passes along (Twitter link). However, Hoiberg did say there will be fines handed out.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy says the idea of a 10-man rotation isn’t workable, even though the team is getting past its injury problems, relays Aaron McMann of MLive. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jon Leuer recently returned to the lineup, giving Detroit 10 players who have seen regular playing time this season. But Van Gundy says decision have to be made on what’s best for the team, not to make sure certain players get enough minutes. “I like having all of those guys available,” he said. “It certainly gives us more flexibility, but the idea it’s as simple as, ‘Play 10,’ or ‘Play nine’ … you start charting out the minutes guys should get, and it doesn’t work.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post

Bulls Notes: Hoiberg, Rondo, Mirotic, Forman

January 27th, 2017 at 11:10am CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg will eventually have to pick a side in the ongoing verbal battle involving Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago. The team has seen verbal sniping this week, with Wade and Butler questioning the effort some of the players and Rondo responding on social media by saying his former Celtics teammates wouldn’t criticize players in the media. Goodwill states that Hoiberg faces a “defining moment” in trying to diffuse the situation.

There’s more today out of Chicago:

Nikola Mirotic and Michael Carter-Williams have been the main sources of frustration for Wade and Butler, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Johnson adds that both addressed the players privately before speaking to the media. “I’m very expressive. I want good for these guys. I try to help these guys,” Wade said. “But there also comes a time [when] I can’t want it for you. It’s not every person on this team. But guys know who they are if they want to be real with themselves, if they’re doing enough.”
GM Gar Forman is expected to make a statement to the media at this afternoon’s shootaround, Johnson tweets. Rondo will also reportedly answer questions (Twitter link).
Waiving Rondo would be the easy way out for the Bulls, says Bobby Marks of The Vertical on a podcast with Chris Mannix. Marks suggests a team meeting where all the players can discuss their grievances and says Rondo shouldn’t be made a scapegoat for exposing the problems in the Bulls’ locker room. The former Nets executive also criticizes the Bulls’ roster, which he says is poorly formed outside of Butler and Wade.

Blazers Duo, Embiid Fail To Make All-Star Cut

January 26th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, the Blazers backcourt duo Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and Jazz center Rudy Gobert were among the prominent players who failed to make the cut on the Western Conference All-Star reserve unit, which was unveiled on Thursday and relayed on the NBA’s Twitter feed. Joel Embiid, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were some of the notable names who didn’t make the cut on the Eastern Conference squad. (Twitter links).

Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Gordon Hayward received the most votes by the conference’s coaches, who pick the reserves. Westbrook, of course, was the biggest snub among the All-Star starters as the fan voting, which counted for 50% toward the overall balloting, put him behind Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Paul George, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and John Wall were named the Eastern Conference’s All-Star reserves.

Did the coaches get it right or was there an obvious mistake on their part? Go to the comments section and weigh in.

Rondo Rips Wade, Butler For Criticizing Teammates

January 26th, 2017 at 5:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls guard Rajon Rondo ripped teammates Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler in an Instagram post for their leadership qualities after they criticized younger teammates following a home loss to the Hawks on Wednesday. The Instagram post was retweeted by numerous media members, including Bulls beat writer Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.

Without naming Wade and Butler in the post, Rondo called out the duo for voicing their frustration about their teammates’ desire, effort and decision-making to the media after Chicago squandered a late lead to Atlanta. Rondo pointed to his early NBA years, when he was a young point guard, and said “my vets” — the post included a picture of former Celtics duo Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett — would not have gone public with those criticisms. He also questioned the Bulls’ duo work habits and approach to adversity.

Here is the full post:

“My vets would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym, whether it was practice or a game. They didn’t take days off. My vets didn’t care about their numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they wouldn’t blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym. They showed the young guys what it meant to work. Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game. My vets didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership.”

Rondo, who has seen his playing time diminish after beginning the year as the team’s starting point guard, figuratively threw a stick of dynamite on an already volatile situation. Rondo aligned with his younger teammates at the expense of undermining Wade and Butler.

It will be interesting to see how Bulls management handles the controversy. Rondo is making a guaranteed $14MM but is now sharing time with Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams. His $13.4MM salary for next season is not guaranteed and the front office could decide to cut him loose sooner rather than later, given his public stance on the team’s leadership.

Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler Criticize Bulls Teammates

January 26th, 2017 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls suffered another frustrating defeat on Wednesday night, blowing a 10-point lead in the final three minutes and losing 119-114 to the Hawks. The collapse represented a boiling point for a pair of Bulls stars, as Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler questioned the effort and heart of their teammates in post-game comments, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.

“I wish I could say that everyone in here is going to go home and not eat tonight. I can’t say that. I don’t know that they care enough,” Wade said. “Games are supposed to hurt. You’re not supposed to sleep. You’re not supposed to want to talk to anybody. I don’t know if that is in guys in this locker room. Hopefully, they can prove me wrong. But I will challenge them to see if losses like this hurt.

“They have to figure it out as individuals,” Wade added. “Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror and see if you really care enough. Are you putting everything into it for your teammates and for yourself? I would say no.”

Butler echoed Wade’s sentiments, questioning whether their teammates were as upset about the team’s bad losses this season as they should be.

“If you don’t come in this (expletive) pissed off after you lose any game, something is wrong,” Butler said. “This is your job. This is what you’re supposed to love to do, and I don’t think that everybody looks at it that way. I want to play with guys who care, guys who play hard, who want to do well for this organization, who want to do whatever it takes to win.”

Wade and Butler also questioned the Bulls’ shot-attempt decisions down the stretch, with players like Paul Zipser and Nikola Mirotic taking – and missing – key three-pointers late in the game. Butler suggested that the club needs to make a better effort to get the ball into the hands of its best players in key late-game situations, while Wade acknowledged that players should be ready to take open shots, but added that “you better have made that shot a lot of times and you better have put the work in — and I don’t see that enough.”

“Me and Jimmy, Coach puts the ball in our hands a lot to make plays, to make shots. That’s our job,” Wade said. “I think for the majority of the season we’ve done it when (it) counted, when we needed to. I can look at Jimmy and say Jimmy is doing his job. I think Jimmy can look at me and say Dwyane is doing his job. I don’t know if we can keep going down the line and be able to say that.”

The Bulls remain in the playoff picture in the East, as their 23-24 record is good for the No. 8 seed. However, given the frustration in the locker room, and the criticisms coming from team leaders, it would be surprising to see Chicago stand pat over the next few weeks. The club’s front office figures to explore ways to improve – or shake up – the roster prior to the trade deadline, though Butler had no interest in offering suggestions for potential deals.

“That’s not my job,” Butler said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “I don’t give a damn about no trade deadline. I just want to win now. Not later. Now.”

Heat Notes: Waiters, Bosh, Gay

January 25th, 2017 at 6:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat are open to keeping Dion Waiters long-term and the shooting guard, who holds a player option worth $3MM for next season, feels like he’s finally found a home in the league, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.

“Everything, the organization, my teammates, my coach, of course [Pat Riley],” he said. “I feel right at home. Like I said before, when I signed, it wasn’t ever about the money. It was about the opportunity and just having a place you could call home, the enjoyment, and having fun. It’s been good. It’s just been consistent love. I’m happy for the opportunity and I’m just happy to be here.”

Here’s more from Miami:

Chris Bosh hasn’t definitively decided to resume his basketball career, but the idea of playing alongside Dwyane Wade or LeBron James appeals to him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Jackson hears that Bosh, who suffers from blood clotting, has not been working toward a comeback this season. Bosh reached out to the Players Association last season in an attempt to force the Heat to allow him to play, but he has not reached out to the union for that kind of help this season, a source tells Jackson. Jackson also hears that the big man isn’t responding to some of the union’s calls.
The Heat remain interested in Rudy Gay as a second-tier free agent should the team not be able to sign a star, Jackson writes in the same piece. Jackson notes that Gay, who ruptured his Achilles earlier this month, “loves the idea” of playing for Miami.
Udonis Haslem will make $4MM in the final year of his contract, but he wants to sign a new deal with the Heat during the offseason, as he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “My body still feels good,” Haslem said. “I plan on being around at least another year after this year.”
The MRI on Tyler Johnson‘s shoulder came back negative and the Heat are not expected to request a roster exception from the league, Winderman relays in a separate piece. Johnson has missed the team’s last two games because of the sprained shoulder.

Bulls’ Mediocrity Could Impact Wade’s PO Decision

January 24th, 2017 at 6:54pm CST by Austin Kent

The mediocrity of this year’s Bulls team could influence Dwyane Wade‘s decision to opt out of the final year of his contract, says Nick Friedell of ESPN. In 40 games with Chicago, Wade has posted averages of 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists but the 22-23 Bulls haven’t done much to prove that they’re ready to compete for much more than a possible eight-seed playoff berth.

“I can’t play this game forever. I just turned 35 and I have a number in my head how long I want to play,” Wade said. “At the end of the day you want to be in a situation where it’s a competitor situation, whatever the case may be.”

Despite that, Wade was quick to clarify that he wasn’t a “ring chaser,” citing the three titles he won with the Heat as the major difference between his mentality and those of players who’ve never competed for a championship.

There have been positives to come out of the first few months of the 2016/17 campaign, however, as uncompetitive as the team has been at times.

“Obviously I’m not happy with being 22-23. Who would be? But there are things around here that I am happy with,” he said. “Obviously I’m happy with Jimmy Butler‘s growth and our relationship. I’m happy with the organization, how they’ve approached things, but I’m not happy with our record.”

This summer Wade will have the option to turn down a $23.8MM option for the 2017/18 campaign, but he insists he hasn’t concerned himself with it. Though the salary cap is slated to rise, bringing with it an influx of available money, the 35-year-old may not yield offers as weighty as the one he signed with Chicago.

Worth noting is that, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, no teams were willing to give the veteran a guaranteed third year in 2016.

Central Notes: Wade, R. Jackson, Parker, Cavaliers

January 22nd, 2017 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Fiscal realities will probably keep Dwyane Wade in Chicago past this season, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Wade has a player option on next year’s $23.8MM salary, an amount that Winderman doesn’t think he’ll get from any other organization at age 35. If the Bulls opt to rebuild, the columnist believes Wade would consider taking an $8MM mid-level exception to team up with one of his close friends, either LeBron James in Cleveland, Chris Paul in Los Angeles or Carmelo Anthony in New York. A return to Miami is unlikely next season, Winderman states, but could be conceivable for 2018/19.

There’s more news from the Central Division:

Trading Reggie Jackson isn’t the right answer for the Pistons, argues Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News. A rumor made the rounds Friday that Detroit was considering a deal with Minnesota involving Jackson and Ricky Rubio. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy contacted Jackson and assured him it wasn’t true. Wojnowski states that it would be a mistake for the team to trade its floor leader after investing so heavily in him two years ago. “If he traded me, I told him it was news to me,” Jackson said. “I appreciated the text, just let me know I’m his guy. But I don’t really pay attention much to it.”
The Bucks held Jabari Parker out of the starting lineup Saturday as punishment for talking to the media about locker room conversations, discloses Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Parker made comments on a team meeting earlier this week, which is a violation of team rules. “I spoke up for the first time, and it didn’t go my way,” he told the media. “I was getting thrashed, but hey, as long as I give them another perspective, I did my job.”
The Cavaliers‘ need for a backup point guard was on display in Saturday’s nationally televised loss to the Spurs, writes Joe Vardon of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. In the overtime defeat, the Cavs were outscored 17-2 to start the second quarter and 12-1 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.