Dwyane Wade To LA Lakers Rumors: Former MVP Wade Ready To Leave Miami Heat?
Dwyane Wade to the LA Lakers? Rumors of Wade leaving the Miami Heat to join Kobe Bryant with the Lakers have really started to pick up. Late Sunday evening (June 21), a report from CBS Sports also relayed that Wade and the Lakers have “mutual interest” in joining forces during the NBA offseason. Teaming up Wade and Bryant could certainly be an exciting short-term option as the franchise looks to build for the future.
It’s certainly going to be expensive for the Lakers to sign Dwyane Wade as a free agent, but the team has the salary cap space to do it. The lure could be that Kobe Bryant is already there, Julius Randle will be returning for his second NBA season, and the Lakers also have the second overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft. That’s already a lot of talent to put on the court, possibly putting the Lakers back in the mix for a divisional title.
Wade is a three-time NBA champion that won the Finals MVP Award in 2006. He will be 33 when the 2015-16 NBA season starts, and he is coming off another personally successful season with the Miami Heat. Though the Heat did not make the postseason, Wade put up really good numbers from the shooting guard slot (again). Playing in 62 games, Wade averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He also shot 47 percent from the field, showing he made the most of his minutes.
As previously reported on the Inquisitr, the LA Lakers are looking to make a splash when NBA free agency opens. It’s no secret that the team wants to sign Jimmy Butler away from the Chicago Bulls, but since he is a restricted free agent, Chicago can match any offer Los Angeles makes. The biggest thing to keep in mind during this pursuit of roster improvement is that any incoming free agents also have to be comfortable sharing the spotlight with Kobe Bryant. It would seem that Wade knows just how to do that after spending four seasons beside LeBron James with the Miami Heat.
In a best-case scenario for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers, Wade would agree to take less money so that the team could also pursue another big name in this free agency period. Getting a good player, in addition to Dwyane Wade, would certainly make the Lakers a real threat in the Western Conference. There are still a lot of “ifs” in these Wade rumors, though, and a lot can happen in the NBA offseason, but the “mutual interest” is a good start.
[Image Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images]
