That made Wade a more than desired piece in the arms race to keep up with the Golden State Warriors and several teams inquired about the possibility of bringing Wade to their organization.
And the winner of the battle for Wade?
It appears to be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who suddenly seem to be possibly improved over last year's team, albeit considerably older with the addition of the soon to be 36 year old Wade, who spent last season in Chicago after spending his entire career to that point with the Miami Heat.
Wade averaged eighteen points a game last year as a Bull and equaled his career high from three-point range as he shot 31 percent in his sixty games.
The Bulls paid Wade sixteen of his just under twenty-four million contract for this season as they came to an agreement for the buyout after Wade's only season in a homecoming to the Windy City.
Wade was reported to have been approached by the Thunder, Spurs, and Heat, but preferred to join LeBron James in Cleveland.
Wade will be playing for the veteran's minimum in Cleveland of 2.3 million, which helps the Cavaliers constant battle with the salary cap and tax threshold and might enable them to have a little flexibility around the trade deadline as well.
Even still, Cleveland will have to make some space on the salary cap for Wade to fit and unless a minor trade is made, someone with a veteran salary.
Richard Jefferson makes some sense if he's not sold on playing anywhere but Cleveland.
There may not be enough playing time for Jose Calderon, who was signed in the off-season as the principal backup to Kyrie Irving and then watched everything turn upside down with Irving gone, Isaiah Thomas acquired in the Irving trade, Derrick Rose and now Wade signed as free agents, may result in not enough playing time for the veteran,
Let's be fair, as good as Dwyane Wade still is and even at 36, I still think there is tread on the tires as long as he is used with discretion, but Wade still has battled injuries over the last few years and considering that this is a team with Derrick Rose and the injured Isaiah Thomas, potential time missed is something that cannot be understated.
Wade's never been an outstanding shooter from the outside and shot a career-low 43 percent last season with the Bulls, so there are concerns that Wade, as a player that relies on getting to the basket, could be stymied a bit on a team that doesn't start a terrific outside shooter.
Wade might best fit once the Cavaliers return Thomas as the ballhandler on the second unit with Rose as the main offensive star off the bench, but could also push J.R.Smith to the bench and allow Smith to slot as the sixth man offensive specialist.
Wade could be used in several different ways and matchups, so the veteran really does add a player with a Swiss Army Knife-like toolkit to the team with his versatility.
Dwyane Wade may not be what he once was and he still might not be enough to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Golden State Warriors, but he has certainly improved them and I'm sure that the defending world champions aren't laughing off this latest development in the arms race....
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