Dwyane Wade to Bulls: Top Takeaways from Star's Introductory Press Conference

Two weeks after signing with the Chicago Bulls, Dwyane Wade was officially introduced by his new team and spoke about the process of coming back to his hometown after 13 seasons with the Miami Heat. 

"This is one of those moments for me that is a dream come true," Wade said, per Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin. "I'm a Chicago kid. I grew up here." 

The early stages of Wade joining the Bulls actually started before he was drafted in 2003. He said they were "the only team he had two predraft workouts with," and he didn't think the Heat were interested in him with the fifth pick, per Highkin.  

In 2010, when Wade was a free agent, he had multiple meetings with the Bulls at a time when they were on the rise with a young Derrick Rose one season away from being named NBA MVP.

Wade wound up re-signing with the Heat, who were also able to secure the services of Chris Bosh and LeBron James to form the first superteam of this NBA era. He said Friday he wanted to join the Bulls six years ago, but Miami was the only team with enough cap space to add talent like Bosh and James, per Highkin. 

Before Wade could officially move on to the Bulls, he did address his previous team. Per Highkin, the 12-time All-Star said he has "no rift with Pat Riley" over the way things played out this summer and that it "was a decision solely for me."

Focusing on what will happen in Chicago next season, Wade left no doubt about who the Bulls' leader is, per Highkin: "It's Jimmy Butler's team. Myself and (Rajon) Rondo are here to bring what we bring."

Rondo has been a lightning rod throughout his career. His attitude and immaturity have been called into question many times, but Wade did put a positive spin on what the point guard does well:

Rondo has led the NBA in assists per game three times in his career, including last season with the Sacramento Kings. He's going to be in a better situation with more talent in Chicago, so another year atop the assist chart would not be a surprise. 

Wade did address his declining performance over the last two years, specifically his shooting percentage. He went from shooting a career-high 54.5 percent from the field in 2013-14 to a career-low 45.6 percent last season. 

Per Highkin, Wade said this about his shooting: "As much as my son loves Stephen Curry, sorry, he's not your dad. I am." 

Curry fever has even spread to NBA players' children. 

Due to injuries suffered throughout his career, Wade's minutes have had to be carefully monitored. He played a career-low 30.5 minutes per game last season, per Basketball-Reference.com. 

Wade noted that he's had talks with Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg about how his minutes will be spread out next season. He said, "Whatever minutes I play, just know that they're going to be productive," per Highkin. 

The press conference wrapped up with Wade holding up his new Bulls jersey alongside Bulls general manager Gar Forman, via Highkin:

Wade has been so synonymous with Heat basketball that seeing him in a new jersey will take time to get used to. There does come a point, though, when every athlete has to make a big decision for his or her future. 

The Bulls made the right pitch to Wade, and he was happy to head to the city that he knew so well from his childhood. This has been an unusual transition summer for the Bulls, with Rondo and Wade joining Butler as their version of a Big Three. 

It's not a group without flaws, but if they can play up to their full potential, the Bulls will return to the playoffs after last year's disappointing 42-40 finish.