NBA superstar Dwyane Wade. (Photo : Getty Images)
Dwayne Wade officially confirmed on Monday during his appearance on the Kelly Rippa show that he will be playing with the Chicago Bulls next season.
For casual NBA followers, Wade's move to Chicago is a homecoming after leading the Miami Heat for 13 glorious years. However, not all are sold that Wade is going to be a Bull for a long time because another landscape-shaking move could hit the NBA again comes December 15.
The Bulls offered a 2-year, $47.5 million deal to snag Miami's most celebrated sporting star. But the Bulls were not even the highest bidder for the 12-time All-Star, with the Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks both willing to shell out north of $50 million on the same length of the contract.
But why did Wade choose to leave the Heat in the first place? Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard believes a huge transaction is in the offing, with no other than former Miami Heat and now Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James as the mastermind.
Apart from the disrespect Wade got from the Heat organization after being offered another small ball deal, Batard believes the itch for a fourth ring factored in on Wade's decision to leave.
While the Bulls aren't considered a contender (even with Wade and newly-acquired guard Rajon Rondo forming a stellar backcourt duo), Batard cited the possibility of him forcing a trade to Cleveland when the trade period starts on Dec. 15, no matter what he decided to sign with.
"Wade could sign a deal with the Denver Nuggets or Milwaukee Bucks [or Chicago Bulls] and then be traded to the Cavaliers after Dec. 15th," per Batard.
With a Super Team emerging in Bay Area, Wade understands that he won't have a shot with the Heat, not with the roster they have. The Cavaliers are by far the lords of the Eastern Conference and expected to reach the finals again next season.
But with four max players on their roster (Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson), the Cavaliers just couldn't create a room for Wade. However, they can trade for any players they want on or after December 15, when the trade moratorium for recently-signed players gets lifted.
Several sources indicated that Love is the likely trade bait for the Cavaliers, should the front office feel the need to upgrade their roster between now and the mid-season trade deadline. The Cavaliers have set their sight on some trade targets to counter the Warriors core four of Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant, and Wade reportedly is one of them.
Then again, Wade could finish the entire the 2016-17 season with the Bulls and strike a larger deal next summer, depending on his performance. He could be the free-agent magnet the Bulls have been looking for in years, turning the Bulls from a ballclub searching for identity into a major title contender again in a span of two years.
Still, there's a feeling in the air that Chicago just serves as a pit stop for Wade on his way to Cleveland.
