After months of discussions between himself and the organization, Dwyane Wade has officially reached a buyout agreement with the Chicago Bulls. Wade will reportedly give back approximately $8 million from the $23.8 million he was to make this year with the Bulls.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds that as of now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the frontrunners to sign Wade, and the San Antonio Spurs as well as the Miami Heat are in the mix as well. The Oklahoma City Thunder could reportedly also become a legitimate landing spot for Wade following the trade for Carmelo Anthony on Saturday.
Sources: Cleveland, San Antonio and Miami are leaders for Dwyane Wade post-Bulls buyout. OKC could become factor too.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 25, 2017
Cleveland's clear frontrunner with LeBron James, but Wade may take a little time to decide, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/onXPOeaYfG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 25, 2017
Wade signed a two-year deal in the summer of 2016 with a player option for the 2016-17 season. Following discussions with the team, Wade opted in expecting to compete for the playoffs alongside All-Star Jimmy Butler. Chicago, however, traded Butler in a package for Zach LaVine, and decided they were going to rebuild.
In his lone season with the Bulls, Wade averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, but decided to go in a different direction once he saw that he and the organization didn’t see eye-to-eye on the future.
As it stands, the Heat can offer Wade the most while the Thunder can offer him the least. Per ESPN’s NBA front office insider Bobby Marks:
What do teams have to offer Dwyane Wade?
MIA: $4.2M
SAS: $3.3M
CLE: $2.5M
OKC: $2.3MThe minimum for Wade is $2.3M
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 25, 2017