Relax Bulls fans, Dwyane Wade isn't going anywhere! After speculating a lot over the past few weeks about Wade's potential departure, it was reported on Tuesday that he will stay with the Chicago Bulls next season. Wade joined the Bulls as a free agent in the summer of 2016 and played 60 games during the 2016/17 season. Wade is a product of Marquette University and a Chicago native, and him joining the Bulls in 2016 was a dream come true for almost every Bulls fan. He signed a two-year deal worth around $47 million, with a player option for his second year.
After his first year with the Bulls ended, there were many speculations surrounding Wade about him potentially leaving Chicago and maybe joining the Miami Heat again. ESPN's Nick Friedell reported on Tuesday that Wade informed the Bulls he will stay in Chicago and pick up his $23.8 million player option for the 2017/18 season.
24 million reasons to stay
When TNT's David Aldridge asked him about his decision to stay with the Bulls next season, Dwyane said, with the big smile on his face, that he has "24 million reasons to stay". He has a point since it is hard to believe that any other team would offer Wade nearly as much money as he's projected to earn in Chicago next year. Obviously, he has earned a lot of money so far in his career, and this could be one of his last productive seasons in the NBA since he's almost 36-years-old now.
Wade averaged 18.3 points per game while shooting 43% from the field in 60 games with the Bulls the past season. Not bad for a guy in his 14th season in the league, but considering his age and his knee issues, we might have seen the last of Dwyane Wade at the top of his game.
Asked Dwayne Wade tonight why he opted in for 2017-18 in Chicago: "24 million reasons."
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) 21. lipnja 2017.
Chicago Bulls fans don't seem to be satisfied with Wade's decision to stay, as they think the franchise should move on and start rebuilding without him.
Shortly after Wade informed the Bulls that he's staying, he was obviously aware of the criticism by the fans as he went to Twitter and reacted the way he did.
18.3 points a game in 29mins on 43% shooting at 35 years old. if I'm 25 with the same numbers I'm getting 150 million 😂 #Fading #petty
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) 21. lipnja 2017.
Apparently, he doesn't think he's overpaid and believes he's worthy of the money he's about to be paid by the Bulls.
Butler staying in Chicago?
One of the reasons Wade joined Chicago in 2016 was the opportunity to play alongside Jimmy Butler. Butler's future with the Bulls was uncertain for some period of the time, but it was recently reported that he doesn't have any intentions of leaving Chicago in the near future. The Cleveland Cavaliers were mentioned as the possible destination for Butler but apparently, that's not going to happen. Does Wade's decision about staying have something to do with it? We don't know, but one thing is for sure, it's going to be fun watching these two great players in the same uniform next season.
