5 potential destinations for Dwyane Wade

Now that Jimmy Butler is in Minnesota, it’s likely that Dwyane Wade will be looking for a way out. He already informed the Bulls he was opting into the final year of his contract so he would need to seek a buyout. Here are five potential suitors for the star guard.

Dwyane Wade joined the Chicago Bulls last summer hoping to be part of a team that would challenge LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers stranglehold on the Eastern Conference.

That seems oh-so-long ago now.

After their ouster in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, rumors were spreading that the Bulls were ready to blow things up and start rebuilding the franchise from the ground up.

Those rumors essentially turned into reality on draft night as the Bulls sent Jimmy Butler and the No 16 overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 overall pick, who would become Lauri Markkannen, a 7-foot Finnish shooter who could be the love child of Dirk Nowitzki and Channing Frye.

Granted, LaVine and Dunn are solid players who may realize their potential in the Windy City, but the trade of Butler proved that the Bulls are ready to enter a rebuild, and Wade didn’t sign with Chicago to go through another rebuilding situation like the one he endured the last season in Miami before he took his talents back home.

Now way on the other side of his prime, Wade is probably searching for at least one more ring before he hangs up his sneakers, and after the Butler trade, he may now realize that he won’t achieve that in Chicago. If he’s able to make his way out of Chicago, here are five teams that could use his services.

5. Houston Rockets

Say what you want about Mike D’Antoni’s coaching style, but his fast-paced ethos produced one of the best offenses in NBA history and a career year for the team’s star, James Harden (before his spectacular implosion in Game 6 in the Western Conference Semifinals).

Granted, Wade’s knees wouldn’t be suited for this fast-paced style of an offensive attack, but he could be useful when teams slow the game down against Houston and he can create shots for both himself and his teammates.

His ball-handling skills will also be welcomed by Harden, who could use another player to create shots when the defense has already been bent, or when he’s on the bench resting. The Rockets really don’t need Wade that much, they’re pretty much stacked, but his championship experience and shot-creating ability would be welcomed on a team looking to take the next step forward.