Bulls younger players reportedly ‘can’t stand’ Dwyane Wade
By Nick Denning
With Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls heading towards a buyout, many of Chicago’s younger players will be happy to see him go. Wade called out his teammates last January, and his relationship with the younger players has not improved since.
Dwyane Wade’s time in Chicago could be coming to an end soon, and it sounds as if very few of his teammates will be upset. According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, younger players on the Bulls’ roster “can’t stand” Wade.
Appearing on ESPN’s The Jump, Friedell was asked about Wade’s reputation with Bulls players, which soured after he and Jimmy Butler called out his teammates last January for not working hard enough.
According to Friedell, Wade “was sold as the guy who was going to help everyone in that locker room, and he did that for a couple of months…The young players on the Bulls really can’t stand Dwyane,” adding, “it’s no secret they have had enough.”
Specifically, the young players took issue with Wade questioning their work ethic, when Wade often sat out practices.
Friedell states, “[Wade] called them all out in the media and said, ‘you guys aren’t working enough,’ and then they had a big team meeting the next day and they said, ‘who are you to say we’re not working hard?'”
It’s not uncommon for veterans to sit out of practices, and for Wade it’s imperative. He’s 36-years-old, and has a history of knee problems.
The issue likely goes beyond missing practice. Veterans can support and show commitment to a team even if they don’t practice everyday. Given the internal issues that faced the team last season, the trust between Wade and his younger teammates was broken at some point. Calling them out tipped the scales, and any chance of mending things likely ended there. With such distaste for one another, it’s remarkable the team made the playoffs.
With the Bulls rebuilding, they have little need for the 36 year-old shooting guard. A buyout seems a matter of when, and Miami or Cleveland appear the most likely of landing spots.
Next: Dwyane Wade reacts to Kyrie Irving being traded to the Celtics
Wherever he lands, it will mark the end of a homecoming that neither Wade nor the Bulls expected to end this way.