Written by Kyle Boone at CBS Sports.com
NBA fans might dream of Dwyane Wade teaming up with LeBron James to make another run at an NBA title, but that scenario doesn’t appear likely to happen anytime soon.
Wade, 35, opted in to his $24 million player option with the Chicago Bulls just days before the team traded franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler to Minnesota on draft night, potentially upsetting the veteran guard enough to request a buyout. But if there is a buyout coming, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg says he doesn’t anticipate it happening before the season begins.
“As of right now, no. I don’t see that,” Hoiberg told ESPN. “Dwyane, he’s going to have an important role on this team as a mentor. 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.”
With Butler shipped to Minnesota, the Bulls have taken a drastic new direction this offseason. The team waived starting point guard Rajon Rondo and drafted 7-footer Lauri Markkanen, signaling a potential rebuild for the foreseeable future.
Hoiberg on Wade: “He’s going to obviously play for us and hopefully play well and take the role of leadership, which is very important.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 9, 2017
Although Wade’s NBA experience and championship pedigree would benefit a team like the Bulls as they develop their young talent, it might not be an ideal situation for the aging superstar, whose odds of winning a title in Chicago dropped significantly this offseason.
Then again, he’s got 24 million reasons why staying in Chicago might not be so bad after all.
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