With the Chicago Bulls moving toward a full-scale rebuild, the question of whether or not the team will buy out Dwyane Wade is becoming a big talking point across the NBA.
Wade, who picked up the player option on a deal that will pay him just under $24 million this season, would be able to sign with another team if the Bulls decided to buy him out, but there’s one team in particular that’s looking like the frontrunner to grab him:
The Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to Joe Vardon, who covers the Cavaliers for Cleveland.com, people close to LeBron James are fairly confident that Wade is going to end up signing with the team.
That report comes on the heels of a report from ESPN’s Nick Friedell that the young players on the Bulls “can’t stand” Wade.
Finally, there is a report out of Miami that Wade has enrolled his children in schools in South Florida after having his kids attend school in Chicago during his first season with the Bulls.
Even with all of those stories in the air, there is still a chance that a Wade buyout could take some time, perhaps even into the regular season. The Bulls may want to test the trade market before buying Wade out, as they’d want to minimize the amount of money they would have to eat on the contract.
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If Wade were to sign with a team like the Cavaliers, he would likely do so for the league minimum, meaning that the Bulls would still be on the hook for nearly $23 million of his contract.
That being said, if Wade wants to force the Bulls’ hand, then the team might be better off cutting him loose sooner rather than later. That decision will be up to Gar Forman and John Paxson as they start to navigate the rebuilding course that they have set the team on.
