Free-agent guard Dwyane Wade has agreed to a two-year, $47.5 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, ending his 13-year partnership with the Miami Heat, league sources told The Vertical.
To clear salary-cap space for Wade's homecoming, the Bulls traded guard Jose Calderon to the Los Angeles Lakers and forward Mike Dunleavy to the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources said.
Wade's agreement includes a player option that will allow him to return to free agency in 2017, sources said.
Wade's agreement includes a player option that will allow him to return to free agency in 2017, sources said.
Wade will return to his childhood home, where he idolized Bulls icon Michael Jordan as a young boy and moved on to become an All-American at Marquette and a 12-time NBA All-Star with Miami.
Wade joins a reshaped Bulls lineup that will include Rajon Rondo at point guard and necessitate the move of All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler to small forward.
Acrimony over contract talks – and a feeling that the Heat no longer appreciated him – fueled Wade’s decision to leave Wednesday, league sources said.
After meeting with Miami owner Micky Arison on Wednesday in New York, the Heat were unwilling to add a third year to their contract offer to Wade, league sources said. The offer was comparable to Chicago’s, but Wade ultimately decided to leave the franchise with which he had become synonymous during a run for three NBA championships that included partnerships with Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James.
Denver met with Wade in New York on Wednesday, offering him a two-year, $52 million deal, sources said. No team offered Wade a guaranteed third season, sources said.
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