Dwyane Wade Reportedly Met with Bulls Management, Had 'Positive' Talks

Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade and team management had a "positive" meeting Saturday as the deadline for his player option for the 2017-18 season approaches.

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune cited a source saying the talk went well, and the team is preparing as if Wade will be back for a second season with his hometown franchise.

Wade, 35, has until June 27 to decide whether he will pick up his $23.8 million player option for 2017-18. He averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season, his first in Chicago after spending his first 13 with the Miami Heat.

While still a good player, Wade has reasons to jump at the chance to make $23.8 million next season rather than hit the open market. He shot a career-low 43.4 percent from the floor while also missing 20-plus games for the third time in four seasons.

The market for oft-injured 35-year-old guards is never especially robust, even ones with Wade's resume.

“Whether there are a lot of options (elsewhere in the league) or not, I’m in a very good situation," Wade said in April. "As a player, you can decide what you want to do. And I have a lot of money to decide if I want to take it or not. It’s not a bad thing because I worked my butt off for it over my career, so no rush in my mind."

The Bulls are entering an uncertain offseason after disappointing with a 41-41 record. Jimmy Butler has been the subject of trade rumors dating back to before the deadline, and the team will likely spend all summer fielding calls from other teams.

Wade said Butler was a "huge component" of him being with the Bulls. Butler met with team management last week, and it's unclear what assurances were given on either side. But if Wade's meeting was "positive" as reported, it would be reasonable to assume Butler and Wade will likely be back next season.