Bulls trying to clear cap space for Dwyane Wade
The Chicago Bulls cancelling their meeting with Dwyane Wade on Wednesday due to travel concerns apparently is not a sign that the team won’t be in the mix to acquire the shooting guard.
According to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bulls have actually been calling teams about trying to unload contracts to create cap space to sign Wade.
Sources: In last few hours, Bulls calling teams to unload contracts, trying to create space to sign Dwyane Wade. Wade is serious about them.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 6, 2016
Sources: Two players Bulls are calling everyone with space on: Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy. Those contracts get them toward Wade space.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 6, 2016
Wade leaving the Heat to sign with the Bulls actually makes sense. There is real animosity between Wade and the Heat, with the longtime franchise guard’s relationship with the team said to be at an all-time low. The threat of him leaving the only team for which he has played is real. But most did not see the Bucks or Nuggets as a credible threat to sign him. The Bulls, however, are a different story.
Back in 2010, prior to re-signing with the Heat as part of a revamped team that also included LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade explored free agency. The Bulls were one of the teams he met with. He later acknowledged in 2012 that he was very close to signing with the Bulls then because the appeal of playing for his hometown team was strong. That’s probably still the case.
