Miami Heat among Dwyane Wade’s top suitors after buyout

Having agreed to a buyout with the Chicago Bulls, Dwyane Wade has a decision to make about where he’ll play next. Will he return to the Miami Heat? Or rejoin his buddy LeBron James in Cleveland?

As expected, Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls have finally agreed on a buyout, according to the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson . According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Wade will consider a return to the Miami Heat, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wade gave up $8 million of his $23.8 million to help facilitate the buyout in time for the start of training camp this week. According to Wojnarowski, Wade will take his time deciding where to play next, and his role on the team will be a major factor.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne adds that their is mutual interest in a reunion between the Heat and Wade “on both sides.” Miami may not be the top option, however.

Wade is expected to consider teams that could compete for a championship, and the Cavaliers are considered the front runner at this point. Wade and his former teammate and good friend LeBron James have spent time together this summer. The Cavaliers could use Wade as their de facto point guard while Isaiah Thomas recovers from a hip injury he suffered in last season’s playoffs that could sideline him for the start of the season.

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Wade could come off the bench for the Spurs and the Thunder as well. San Antonio will be without Tony Parker to start the season and could use some backcourt scoring. Oklahoma City just traded for Carmelo Anthony, a member of #TeamBananaBoat and a friend of Wade’s.

Wade’s decision to leave the Heat last summer shocked the NBA, but he tells Johnson he doesn’t regret it, and that he felt at the time that he wasn’t wanted by the Heat as much as he wanted to be there.

Still, according to reports Wade would consider a reunion with the Heat. Speaking with reporters on Friday, Pat Riley wouldn’t rule out the option of a Wade return, but wouldn’t talk about it directly since Wade was still under contract with the Bulls.

Of all of the mentioned suitors, the Heat have the most money to offer with their $4.2 million cap exception. The Spurs could offer $3.3 million, the Cavs $2.5 million, and the Thunder could offer the veteran minimum of $2.3 million, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

His role in Miami

The four million dollar question is what Wade’s role in Miami would be. The Heat have solidified its starting backcourt with Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters, the latter of whom just signed a lucrative four-year deal to remain in Miami. The Heat have a crowded backcourt, with Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington also expected to see plenty of playing time.

Signing Wade could make Tyler Johnson expendable. Johnson is Miami’s top bench scorer, but is set to make a hefty $19 million in the 2018-19 season as the team’s second-highest paid player. Wade, at this point, would be a much cheaper option. (The irony here can’t be ignored. The Heat surprisingly matched the Brooklyn Nets’ offer sheet for Johnson last summer, but were reportedly hesitant to offer Wade a lucrative long-term contract.)

The Heat are reportedly interested in bringing back Wade in such a role. The other option could be to start Wade at small forward, where Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Rodney McGruder are currently competing for the starting job. That’d be an awkward fit, though. Wade is a ball-dominant player, and lining him up next to other players who need the ball like Dragic, Waiters, and with Hassan Whiteside would be a tough dynamic for head coach Erik Spoelstra to finesse. (Not to mention the spacing issues.)

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A return is far more likely, then, if Wade is willing to accept a bench role. The Heat don’t check off the desire to play for a contender, but Wade’s history with the team may be enough to overcome that.