For the Miami Heat to run now, Dwyane Wade had to walk then
When Dwyane Wade left the Miami Heat for the Chicago Bulls in 2016, he indirectly set them up for their current successes.
Miami Heat fans had mixed emotions in 2016 when Dwyane Wade left for the Chicago Bulls in free agency. But looking back, that’s exactly why the team is standing tall today.
Wade left South Beach to team up with Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler, making some form of what fans and executives call “a Big 3.” Their success (or lack thereof) would testify against that label, but they were three perennial All-Stars teamed up purposefully on the Bulls.
Chicago got bounced in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The up-and-down season was filled with drama, and it ultimately cost the franchise Jimmy Butler’s allegiance. Wade was bought out in the following summer, and Butler demanded a trade shortly thereafter.
What would you say if I told you Wade’s initial departure from Miami is why the team is a legitimate contender walking into this year’s playoffs?
When he left Chicago, he had one thing with him that he didn’t on arrival to Illinois: Butler’s friendship, and more importantly, respect. Wade relayed just what makes up the Heat’s famous culture, luring him to the team in the free agency of 2019.
Don’t believe it? Butler told reporters at his introductory press conference that exactly:
Fast forward to today, not even done with his inaugural season with the club, and Butler has become the face of Miami basketball. The Heat are 41-24 and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, preparing for a title run inside quarantine in Orlando, Florida.
Butler’s averaging 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.7 steals nightly. He’s just shy of being an MVP candidate and brought a full-on renaissance to this Miami culture.
Because of Wade’s commitment to the culture, and the fanbase/franchise’s loyalty to their athletes, the Heat have brought another star to South Beach. If the Flash had never made his way to those Chicago Bulls, then Jimmy Buckets may have never played for the Miami Heat.
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But wait, it gets deeper.
When Wade left in 2016, the Heat didn’t make a play for any star level replacement. The result was a largely average joe compilation of players that finished 41-41 and just missed the playoffs.
Because of this, Miami drafted in the lottery and selected Bam Adebayo at 14th overall. While Wade was already on the decline, could he have made them a better team? That would have had them drafting later in the first round and missing out on their now, All-Star power forward.
Adebayo is half of the reason Miami is being considered a top landing spot for a number of top talents come the 2021 offseason and free agency. A club that’s one All-Star short of a championship is as attractive a situation as there is to a free agent.
The 22-year old forward is averaging 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game in just his second year with the Heat. Even if Miami had ended up with either of the three players drafted after Adebayo, their place in the NBA today could look a lot different.
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When Dwyane Wade left the Miami Heat, fans were picturing years of rebuilding before their team returned to relevancy. Now just four years later, they’re on their way to building another “Big 3,” and hanging another championship banner in the rafters.