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NBA Free Agency 2017: Blake Griffin and the 10 biggest player option decisions

By John Buhler

Apr 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) reacts to a foul call in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Clippers won 115-104. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) reacts to a foul call in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Clippers won 115-104. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 18, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) controls the ball during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) controls the ball during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
9

Dwyane Wade

Shooting Guard, Chicago Bulls

After spending the first 13 NBA seasons of his Basketball Hall of Fame career with the Miami Heat, shooting guard Dwyane Wade and Heat team president butted heads over a few million dollars. Wade took a slightly bigger offer than Miami was wiling to give him, signing with his hometown Chicago Bulls on a two-year deal worth $47 million.

The Bulls made the 2017 Eastern Conference Playoffs, but lost in six games to the Boston Celtics in the first round after point guard Rajon Rondo went down with injury. Though Wade is beloved by Chicagoans, he is somewhat on an island in the Bulls locker room. He hasn’t come to grips that his All-Star game will be forever a thing of the past. Wade isn’t even the second-best player on this team heading into next year. Rondo proved to be more valuable than Wade at season’s end.

Wade will likely opt out of the second year of his Bulls deal worth $23.8 million. Could he re-sign with Chicago in July? Potentially, but his phrasing about his offseason plans during his exit interview was odd and unsettling.

In short, he implied that he doesn’t have to ring chase, but could do so anyway. He’s already won three NBA Championships with Miami. Saying that he’s down with the ring chase means that he’d leave Chicago after one year. Should he stay with the Bulls, he basically implied that he’ll take Jerry Reinsdorf’s money not playing for a title contender.

It might be a good thing for the Bulls to see Wade opt out. $23.8 million would be coming off the books so GarPax can sign a two-guard that can shoot 3-pointers or build some more depth. Unless Wade signs with a bottom-feeding team, there is almost no way he’ll eclipse the money he’s set to make by opting in with the Bulls on another contract elsewhere.

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