Dwyane Wade Free Agency: Will Three-Time NBA Champion Stay With the Bulls?
Dwyane Wade's stint as a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls could be short-lived. The three-time National Basketball Association champion has a $23.8 million player option to continue his stint with the Bulls, but he could decide to opt out of this deal to become a free agent again?
In a surprise move that stunned the global basketball community, Wade departed from the Miami Heat last season — the sole team he had played for since he joined the league back in 2003 — due to an alleged salary dispute.
Should Wade decide to become a free agent again, reports claim that he could potentially leave the Chicago Bulls for teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets or the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Last summer, Wade was aggressively pursued by the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks. In fact, the three-time NBA champion agreed to a two-year $50 million contract with the Nuggets before he signed the $47.5 million, two-year contract with the Bulls.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Wade has several paths to choose from during the free agency period this July — should he decide to leave the Bulls. For example, he could take a pay cut so he could play for championship contenders like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs or the Los Angeles Clippers. He could also opt to sign with a mid-tier team that could offer him a more lucrative contract.
The 35-year-old Wade had to sit out the remainder of the regular season after suffering an injury that sprained and fractured his elbow during the Bulls' 98–91 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, March 15.
According to NBA.com's Steve Aschburner, Wade is "on the clock now," since he is in that stage of transitioning from his former glory days as the leader of the Miami Heat to his future as a Naismith Hall of Famer that will potentially go down in NBA history as one of the best shooting guards to have existed.
Amid all these rumors, Wade has been playing his cards close to his chest. However, he did share his thoughts last January about the decision he will eventually face regarding his future as an NBA player.
"At the end of the year, you sit back and see what the team is, what direction they're going in," Wade said.
"You evaluate the year from an organization standpoint, from a player's standpoint. How you loved it, how you liked it, how you hated it, whatever the case may be. ... What do you want to do? How many more years you thinking about playing? What's the best thing to do? Is it to sign a contract, or is it to opt out and try to get a longer [deal]?" he added.
