Dwyane Wade has until June 27 to inform the Bulls if he’s picking up a $23.8 million player option, and is said to be “leaning” toward staying in Chicago.
Wade recently sat down with team management, and has informed them that he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild.
What the Bulls choose to do with Jimmy Butler will reportedly not affect Wade’s decision.
Per ESPN:
After the season, sources said, Wade told the Bulls he had no interest in being part of a rebuilding situation, if they chose to deconstruct a team that gave the Boston Celtics a strong challenge in the first round of the playoffs this year.
While Wade is monitoring the situation with Butler and how the Bulls approach this week’s NBA draft, sources indicated that he’s leaning toward picking up his player option regardless of what the Bulls do in the next week.
Wade has come to enjoy Chicago and playing in his hometown. He also is unlikely to command an annual salary in that range anywhere else, and after sacrificing to take less in Miami for several years, sources said Wade is unlikely to do so again in Chicago or elsewhere this season.
