NBA Rumors: Dwyane Wade Has ‘Positive Meeting With Bulls Brass

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The Chicago Bulls didn’t exactly live up to expectations during the 2016-17 NBA campaign. Although the additions of proven champions Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo was seemingly a step in the right direction, it didn’t propel the team to elite status in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago’s season ended prematurely with the team barely making the playoffs and being beaten by the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round. The Bulls gave Isaiah Thomas and company a run for their money winning the first two games but then were dominated in the final four leading to the early postseason exit.

With the season in the books, the attention turns to the futures of Jimmy Butler and Wade. Butler has been rumored to be on the trading block while Wade has a player option on his deal worth $23.8 million. Wade is in the power position here as the can simply opt into his contract and play another season in Chicago, but there’s been speculation as to whether he wants to chase another ring or to play out his deal with the Bulls.

According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, Wade recently met with the Bulls brass with a positive feel coming out of the meeting:

The meeting, which was described as positive and came on the heels of a similar meeting between management and Butler earlier last week, covered a wide variety of topics, including the possibilities for next season’s team, one source said.

The Bulls are in a difficult situation as even if the team stays intact with Wade, Butler, and Rondo returning, it is still safe to say they won’t stand much of a chance against the league’s elite like the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With that being said, the team’s brass seems to be considering shaking things up with a potential rebuild. Trading Butler may be a direction the team goes, but there’s also a chance they try to stick it out for at least one more year.