WADE TO RUN WITH BULLS
Bolts Heat or reported $47M deal
Dwyane Wade is trading the Miami sunshine and crystal blue water for the frigid temperatures and swirling winds of home.
After a 13-year run with the Heat that included 12 All-Star Game appearances and three NBA championships, Wade will sign a deal worth $47 million over two years with his hometown Bulls, according to the Vertical.
“This was not an easy decision, but I feel I have made the right choice for my myself and my family,” Wade wrote in a letter to the city of Miami, released to the Associated Press.
The 34-year-old Wade joins a reshaped Bulls team that jettisoned Derrick Rose to the Knicks for Robin Lopez and signed Rajon Rondo to handle the point-guard duties. Wade’s acquisition would mean shifting All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler to small forward after he averaged a career-high 20.9 points per game last season.
In his letter, Wade wrote the allure of playing for the team he rooted for as a child was too much to overlook.
“Watching the Bulls growing up inspired me at an early age to pursue my dream of becoming a basketball player,” he wrote. “... I have never forgotten where I came from and I am thankful to have an opportunity to play for the team that first fueled my love of the game.”
Wade’s Miami departure marks the official end of the Heat’s Big Three era.
What began during the summer of 2010 with the additions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh has been torn apart in three summers through free agency. Only Bosh remains after signing a five-year deal in 2014.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Miami community and especially #HEATNATION for all of their love and support over the years,” Wade wrote. “The memories including championship parades and five conference titles are incredible moments we have shared that will always remain close to my heart as I begin the next chapter of my life.”
Wade had been seeking a deal worth $50 million on the freeagent market and the Heat showed an unwillingness to meet their franchise player’s demand. It seemed to be the last domino to fall for Wade, who spent a career in Miami signing below-market contracts to keep cap space open for reinforcements.
Over the course of his career, Wade has earned $153 million, or the exact figure Mike Conley Jr. received from the Grizzlies when free agency began.
To accommodate Wade’s return, the Bulls had to complete two separate deals to clear enough cap space. The Bulls reportedly sent Jose Calderon and his remaining $7.7 million contract to the Lakers and Mike Dunleavy’s $4.8 million deal to the Cavaliers.
Wade played in 74 contests last season — his most since playing in 76 during the 2010-11 season — and averaged 19 points per game.