Chicago Bulls rumors about Dwyane Wade finally have some answers. Wade opted to stay with the Bulls for the 2017-18 NBA season, using his player option to stick with the current contract. The next day, the Bulls decided to trade Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, putting Wade in a really awkward position with the franchise. Would the Bulls buy out Wade’s contract? Could he simply get waived or released into free agency?
It appears now that Dwyane Wade will begin the season with the Chicago Bulls, putting an end to most of the NBA rumors from the current offseason.
It’s definitely a rebuilding year for the franchise, so this doesn’t necessarily mean that Wade is going to finish the season with the Bulls. It’s entirely possible that the front office sees him as an asset that could be used as a bargaining chip when the winter NBA trade deadline rolls around.
How much is Dwyane Wade’s contract with the Chicago Bulls?
After earning $23.2 million for the 2016-17 NBA season, Wade will now make $23.8 million this year. When he had the option to opt out and check in on free agency, Wade and his agent had to know that there wasn’t another team willing to pay him a hefty one-year salary such as this one. The former NBA Finals MVP and All-Star guard had to have also felt that the franchise would hold on to Jimmy Butler and look to add more pieces.
That’s not what took place.
Dwyane Wade is now the highest paid player on the Chicago Bulls by a very wide margin. His $23.8 million dwarfs the $13.8 million salary that Robin Lopez will make. Getting a raise from the Bulls was a nice gesture already built into the two-year deal, but it was very clear by a lot of NBA rumors that the front office in Chicago may have been hoping he would decide to opt out.
It would have freed up a lot of salary cap space and allowed the franchise to completely rebuild. The team payroll certainly won't approach the biggest ones in the NBA this year either.
What is the plan for the Bulls this season?
In the Jimmy Butler trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Chicago Bulls acquired Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No.
7 overall pick. With that pick, the Bulls selected Lauri Markkanen from the University of Arizona. Markkanen averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during his only college season, playing power forward and center for the Wildcats. The trio of players definitely provides a lot of depth for the Bulls. Without Rajon Rondo returning, who other teams are trying to sign, the depth will help a lot.
With Dwyane Wade, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn leading the way, this is certainly a Bulls roster that is going to be fun to watch. The team has a lot of youth going for it, even if there are a lot of question marks about how they will blend and whether they are good enough to get the team back to the NBA Playoffs. If the team ends up playing terrible basketball to open the 2017-18 NBA season, fans should expect new Chicago Bulls rumors about a potential Wade buyout or a trade to a contender.
