Dwyane Wade Will Leave Miami to Sign With the Chicago Bulls

When the Chicago Bulls dealt former MVP Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks a couple weeks back, it appeared the Bulls were taking a step back to remake their team. It turns out they still plan to put a contender on the floor this fall. Veteran shooting guard Dwyane Wade has agreed to sign with Chicago, ending a 13 year run in Miami where he helped the heat win three NBA Championships. Wade is a Chicago native.

Wade is 34, but still has something left in the tank; he averaged 19 points and 4.6 assists per game last season. The Bulls wouldn’t be spending the reported two year $47.5 million contract he’s getting if they didn’t figure they had a shot at winning. To clear salary cap space, the Bulls traded Jose Calderone (whom they just got from New York in the Rose deal) to the Lakers and were in the process of trading Mike Dunleavy to Cleveland. The Bulls also signed veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to a one year deal.

Base on Rose’s history of injuries, this could be a decent upgrade for the Bulls. We’ll have to see what other moves they make, if any, but we don’t see the Bulls catching up to Toronto or Cleveland in the Eastern Conference unless those teams lose some key players. The Bulls are probably hoping Wade’s presence will get other good players interested in playing in Chicago, which could tilt things in the Bulls’ favor.