Dwyane Wade decided to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls this summer at the age of 34 after spending his entire career with the Miami Heat. In 2010, Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh came together to form a super team in Miami that went to four straight NBA Finals and won two championships.
But if the Bulls had a little more cap space available, Wade says, that trio would’ve signed in Chicago in 2010.
The reason Miami won the services of the three stars (who later called themselves the Heatles for some reason) was the Bulls didn’t have enough room for Bosh. They tried to trade Luol Deng at the time, but according to the Chicago Tribune, it just never happened.
“I know LeBron’s eyes were here,” Wade said after Thursday’s practice. “I know my eyes were here.”
“It would be a different story,” Wade said, when asked if the Bulls had been able to move Deng. “It was something they talked about. They were very open with us with what they were trying to do. They heard the news of Miami being able to bring three players in. But it never happened. So we never had to think that far.
“I mean, this was a place I wanted to play. It was a place LeBron also loved. We loved the city of Chicago. It’s a great market as well. Obviously, the sunny sun of Miami is great too. We had two great choices.”
The Bulls had the best record in the NBA in 2010-11 and lost to the Heat in the conference finals. Two years later, the Bulls lost again to the Heat, this team in the second round. With the Bulls looking for an identity this season and Wade in the fold, it will be easy for fans to wonder what could have been six years ago.