Huge news broke yesterday that the Chicago Bulls were buying out the contract of Dwyane Wade and four teams immediately rose to the top of the list of hopefuls to sign Wade after the buyout completes. Those teams include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Anyone who has followed the career of Wade knows that the two most likely destinations on that list are the Heat and Cavaliers. According to CBS Sports, LeBron James said he is going to reach out to Wade about joining him in Cleveland.
LeBron and Wade
There are two things that Dwyane Wade said that he is looking for when it comes to joining his new team. The first is a place where he can fit in and help the team win actively and the second is to win another NBA Championship. With the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade has a better chance of making it to the NBA Finals than he does at any other team on the list of suitors. The Thunder and Spurs still have to get past the Golden State Warriors while the Heat are still working on rebuilding their franchise.
The biggest lure – other than an NBA Finals appearance – is reuniting with LeBron James. Together, James and Wade made it to the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons while playing for the Miami Heat.
LeBron left and went to the next three NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, LeBron only won one NBA title in those three Cavs NBA Finals appearances, and there is a chance Dwyane Wade could help change that.
At the Cleveland Cavaliers media day on Monday, LeBron James said he wants to bring Dwyane Wade to Cleveland.
"I would love to have D-Wade a part of this team," James said. “I probably will reach out to him as well… I hope that we can bring him here.”
Dwyane Wade gave up $10 million to get the Chicago Bulls buyout which means he still has around $13.8 million coming to him. That means he can take a pay cut to afford to join the Cleveland Cavaliers to make it financially viable.
Dwyane’s other options
The other options for Dwyane Wade will not feature a great chance to win an NBA Championship. The San Antonio Spurs are always in the hunt for a title, so that could be an interesting spot for him to land. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, and with Russell Westbrook as the reigning MVP and Steven Adams as a top defensive center, Dwyane Wade could make that team a huge contender as well.
As for the Miami Heat, there is little doubt that Dwyane Wade will retire there one day. That day just probably won’t be this year.
