If Dwyane Wade is bought out by the Chicago Bulls, Hassan Whiteside says he’d welcome Wade back to the Miami Heat.
Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade had chemistry when they were teammates, and that bond has seemingly remained despite Wade’s departure a year ago. Whiteside said he’d welcome a possible reunion between the Miami Heat and their former star.
Speculation has picked up about a possible buyout between Wade and the Chicago Bulls, with ESPN recently reporting that a buyout is expected in the next few months. It’s unclear what that would look like—if Wade would give up money to escape Chicago’s rebuilding project, or if the Bulls would pay his $23.8 million salary in full to expedite the process—but if and when it does, Miami makes sense as a possible destination for the veteran guard.
Whiteside played his first two seasons next to Wade, and the two had a noticeable chemistry on the court, especially in the pick-and-roll. Whiteside is open to rekindling that relationship.
"“It’d be great,” Whiteside said, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “It’s a three-time NBA champion coming back, coming in and really helping a team out. It would be great.”"
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Wade is still an effective NBA player, even if he’s not the All-Star level guard he was a few seasons ago. He averaged 18.3 points, 3.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in Chicago last season. If he were bought out, the Heat could sign him to either a minimum deal or, if still available, offer its $4 million exception. After Wade left in the summer of 2016, the team took out an ad in the local paper that the “key is under the mat” for him to return.
However, how the team would shuffle Wade back into the deck is another issue entirely. Miami has found stability in its backcourt rotation with Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra will already be challenged to carve out adequate playing time for that group, let alone if Wade returned.
It’s also unclear what kind of role Wade would be willing to accept. Dragic and Waiters are entrenched as the starters (Waiters, in regards to a possible Kyrie Irving trade, recently came out and said he’s an alpha dog. Those sentiments likely wouldn’t change in the presence of Wade.) which leads to Wade either coming off the bench, or starting as a third guard.
In Chicago last season, Wade played alongside Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler in a three-guard starting lineup. Spoelstra, also, often played three guards at a time last season. A starting lineup including Dragic, Waiters and Wade is intriguing if they can figure out how to spread the ball around enough.
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If Wade were to return, it would be great for fans and a feel-good story for the organization. Working him back into the fold is a bridge that can be crossed at that time. A reunion, however, is not imminent, but expect speculation to build if and when Wade is back on the market.