Chicago Bulls: What does the future hold for Dwyane Wade?

The Chicago Bulls’ front office and coaching staff expect Dwyane Wade to be back with the team when the 2017 season starts. But will he finish out next season as a Bull?

Since the Chicago Bulls hit the “rebuild” button on draft night, many have speculated that Dwyane Wade’s days as a Bull could be numbered.

For now, though, it looks like those hoping for a potential buyout of Wade will have to keep waiting.

According to multiple reports, the Bulls have no plans to reach a buyout agreement with Wade before the start of the season. Neither Fred Hoiberg nor Gar Forman broached that subject with Wade in recent conversations. Furthermore, John Paxson offered some extended thoughts about the possibility of buying out the veteran, via Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.

"“I know [general manager] Gar [Forman] has spoken to Leon Rose, Dwyane’s agent,” Paxson said. “As far as a buyout, it has not been broached. I will say this, that in this type of scenario, it would have to benefit us. It would absolutely have to benefit us. Dwyane was a great pro last year, and he’s been around a lot of different situations. He was in Miami when they had a couple rebuilding years as well. So right now we’re operating under the assumption that he’ll be here. But like I said, if that subject is ever broached by them, then it would have to be advantageous for us.”"

That sure makes it sound like we’d better get used to Wade being a Bull. But for how long?

Buyout unlikely…for now

What would it mean for a buyout to be advantageous for the Chicago Bulls? Most likely, not having to pay out $23.8 million outright.

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Unfortunately, that’s very likely what the Bulls would have to do to buy out Wade right now. Unlike with Rajon Rondo, where the Bulls were able to pay $3 million to buy out his team option, Wade would have to pay back some of that $23.8 million to make the move more affordable for the Bulls. Right now, there’s no incentive for him to do that. Why not just take the money and live with the results?

However, should the opportunity arise for Wade to join a title contender during the season, the Bulls could revisit this option with him later. At that point, accepting a buyout might seem more reasonable to him.

Assuming the Bulls aren’t able to pull off a trade for him—who would willingly take on that contract?—this is the most likely way that Wade would depart from Chicago. Personally, I think there’s certainly a non-zero chance that this happens (probably 25-30% at the moment). But if this team plays as badly as many of us expect, Wade’s patience may not hold for long. At age 35, he’s running out of time in the league.

Next: Creative trade ideas for the rebuilding Bulls

For the most part, Wade holds the cards. As he said before, he has 24 million reasons to start next season with the Chicago Bulls. But he doesn’t fit into the Bulls’ future, and they won’t help him win another ring before he retires.

Knowing that, don’t be surprised if he changes his mind about taking that buyout around March or so. Especially, for an all-time great, winning probably beats being a glorified coach any day.