A GAME OF WADE AND SEE
Veteran wants to know what direction Bulls are headed before committing for next season
There was Dwyane Wade on Saturday, designer sunglasses and all, going Bobby Portis with the media.
Who said Wade wasn’t learning new tricks from his young Bulls teammates at 35, even if that meant picking up Portis’ habit of talking in the third person?
“Well, obviously, it is a Dwyane Wade decision,” Wade said of his pending $ 23.8 million player option this offseason just minutes after going through his exit meeting. “Jimmy [ Butler] is, you know, a huge component in me being here. But at the end of the day, it is a me decision — it’s weird talking about yourself in third person sometimes — but it is a Dwyane Wade decision at the end of the day. But everyone knows that Jimmy’s my guy, and I’m here because of our conversation [ last summer].
“A lot of it depends on the whole big picture. Not just one piece. Jimmy’s a big piece, but it’s a big picture as an organization. Just want to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
And Wade has some boxes to check before he’s ready to reach that page. But he doesn’t want ev- eryone trying to guess what direction he’s going to take.
“I don’t really go with the signs. I’m not a predictable person, I don’t think,” Wade said. “I’m in a good situation. Whether there’s a lot of options or not, I’m in a very good situation. As a player, you can decide what you want to do. And I have a lot of money to decide if I want to take it or not. It’s not a bad thing because I worked my butt off for it over my career, so no rush in my mind.
“I don’t have to think about it right now. I’ve got at least a month before my mind starts going there. I’m just going to get away and let my hair grow a little bit, get a tan.”
Wade expects to meet with general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball operations John Paxson next month to discuss the direction of the organization.
He plans to stay in contact with Butler, who’s expected to meet with Paxson soon.
Then there will be some information gathering as far as possible free agents the Bulls want to add, as well as talking with players from other teams to see if there’s a spot for Wade elsewhere.
Wade’s family also will play a big factor in the process.
Either way, Wade believes he’s in a win- win situation.
“I will be 36 next year,” he said. “You definitely want your talents to be used where you can get the most out of it on a nightly basis as much as you can.
“There’s so many different variables that come into play, especial- ly for me at this point in my career. Like I said, I have a great luxury. I don’t need to ring- chase, but I can.
It’s a great luxury to have if I want to do it. Or I can be a part of passing down my knowledge to younger players. It’s either way. Whatever I decide, I’m going to embrace whatever role I have on a team.”
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