It looks like Dwyane Wade isn’t happy about losing All-Star buddy Jimmy Butler. Fresh from opting into the second year of his deal worth $24 million, Wade is now seriously considering a buyout negotiation with the Bulls’ top-brass – which will clear the way to a potential reunion with Pat Riley in Miami or LeBron James in Cleveland.
Wade’s Paris trip spoiled
The former NBA Finals MVP was in the French’s glamour city when he learned the news that Butler, who ironically was also in Paris, got traded along with the Bulls’ no.16 pick (Justin Patton) to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for youngsters Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn and no.7 pick that was used to select stretch forward Lauri Markkanen.
Many NBA pundits view the Butler trade as the signal that the Bulls finally decided to begin a full rebuild with Lavine, Dunn, and Markkanen as the cornerstones of the effort. Wade previously expressed his intention to stick with the Bulls, regardless of the possibility of playing without Butler. However, a source close to the situation is reporting that Wade is clearly unhappy with the Butler trade and now planning to ask Bulls’ executives Gar Forman and John Paxson for a buyout.
“A source close to Wade insisted that if Butler was moved, “D-Wade was asking for a buyout,” per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Miami or Cleveland
Cowley also reported the Bulls front-office wanted Wade to handle the situation professionally despite knowing the fact that he will likely spend a full season with a losing team.
According to the report, the Bulls plan to keep Wade until the February trade deadline as they look to optimize his trade value. However, with Wade openly clamoring for a buyout, it would be hard for the Bulls to get even multiple second round picks for him. The best move right now for the Bulls is to part ways with Wade through a buyout, allowing him to join either the Miami Heat or the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There are already rumblings about Wade returning home on South Beach for one last run with Miami Heat, the team that drafted him no.5 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. Wade, who averaged 18.3 points on 43.4 percent FG shooting last season, has also expressed openness to renew ties with the Heat. Of course, LeBron James and the Cavaliers could ruin that reunion. With Butler now going in Minnesota and Paul George likely to be traded elsewhere, the Cavs are expected to go hard at Wade when he hits the post-buyout market.
