Why Wade Didn't Become a Chicago Bull

By ESPN

Dwyane Wade almost became a Chicago Bull in the summer of 2010. That part of Wade's return to the Bulls -- in 2016 -- has been well-documented. But in an informative post-practice news conference, the All-Star guard expounded on why the reunion with his hometown team didn't happen six years earlier.

"Chris Bosh effect," Wade said, explaining why he and LeBron James didn't sign with the Bulls in 2010. "Had the opportunity for us three to play together and we both separately really wanted to play with Chris Bosh. So it was going to be kind of a sense where Chicago wanted two players, they could have got two players. It probably was going to be LeBron and Chris or me and Chris, right? It kind of was moreso that effect, that they could only do two. And Miami was able to get all three of us. And we really wanted to play together at that moment once we found out it could be a thing. So instead of it being me, LeBron and Derrick Rose, it's going to be a tough one. So we decided to pick what we thought was better from a basketball standpoint."

The rumors about Wade coming to Chicago six years ago were all over the place. Some within the organization were very confident after speaking to both players that not only would Wade sign with the Bulls during the game-changing summer, but Bosh would as well. Wade's comments on Tuesday reaffirmed how important Bosh's presence was in the entire scenario, which ultimately led to all three players deciding to play in Miami.

"I knew Bosh," Wade said. "We got the same agent coming out [Henry Thomas]. I knew Bosh obviously. But just from a fan standpoint, I think Bron tried to get Bosh in Cleveland that year in the middle of the year. I always loved his game. Also, you got to look at personalities as well. I felt his personality fit perfect with, I think we all felt his personality felt perfect with us. It was just us trying to put together our dream team in a sense. Chicago was very tempting from a standpoint of what they had on the roster when it came to talent. But when it came to the point when Miami came and was able to get three players, that changed the whole dynamic of the summer."

Wade also confirmed that had the Bulls been able to move forward Luol Deng as part of a potential deal, clearing out enough space to sign all three players (Wade, James and Bosh), the course of NBA history might have changed.

"It would be a different story," Wade said. "We thought about it. ... That didn't happen. It was something that [the Bulls] talked about. They were very open with us with what they were trying to do. They heard the news of Miami being able to bring three players in. But it never happened. So we never had to think that far."

Wade said he knew a potential Deng deal could be in the works.

"Yeah," he said. "This was a place that I wanted to play. This was a place that Bron also loved. We loved the city of Chicago. It's a great market as well, so yeah. Obviously, the sunny sun of Miami is great too. We had two great choices. It pretty much boiled down to what we felt that we could -- we had to build a whole team in Miami. Obviously here they had players already. But once we got me, Bron and Chris, we had to now take pay cuts, we had to build a team. It was obviously tougher to do it in Miami but because we wanted to play together, us three, we decided to do it there."

Thursday, October 13 Scoreboard

Washington 100, Philadelphia 79

Detroit 99, Atlanta 94

Boston 100, Brooklyn 97

Memphis 110, Oklahoma City 94

Toronto 119, Cleveland 94

Sacramento 116, Los Angeles Lakers 104

Los Angeles Clippers 109, Portland 108

Friday, October 14 Schedule (All Times Central)

Buernos Aires at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Indiana at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m.

Miami at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Denver, 8 p.m.

Dallas at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Saturday, October 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

Washington at Sacramento, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Boston at New York, 6:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

Memphis at Houston, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Los Angeles Lakers, 9 p.m.

Sunday, October 16 Schedule (All Times Central)

Atlanta at Orlando, 5 p.m.

Minnesota at Oklahoma City, 6 p.m.

Denver at Portland, 8 p.m.