If there is a star on the market, expect the Warriors to reach out.
That’s exactly what they did shortly after the Chicago Bulls bought out Dwyane Wade’s contract on Sunday, giving the future Hall of Fame shooting guard a call according to Alex Kennedy of USA Today.
The conversation was apparently brief, as Wade “wants to play significant minutes on a contender,” and the Warriors were unclear on how much playing time Wade would actually get if he joined Golden State. Instead, all indications are that Wade will reunite with LeBron James and join the rival Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wade, 35, would’ve had to come off the bench in Golden State, with Klay Thompson firmly cemented as the starting shooting guard. With the Cavs he is likely to start, as neither JR Smith nor Iman Shumpert have a stronghold on the position, each coming off down years. Wade would’ve added another scorer to a Warriors bench unit that also added Nick Young this summer, and made the league’s best team even more of a juggernaut. Golden State, who enters camp with all 15 roster spots filled, would’ve likely cut Kevon Looney to make room.
Wade is coming off a decent year with the Bulls in which he averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals, but finished outside the top 30 in real-plus minus amongst NBA shooting guards.