Just as fast as the D-Wade-to-Denver-mobile gunned it to 60, so did it run out of gas. After a whirlwind courtship that included several teams, Dwyane Wade informed the city of Miami via the Associated Press that he was returning to his home, Chicago.
Here’s a recap of the Dwyane Wade timeline over the past 72(ish) hours and how Denver was left in the dust.
Wade went from what many people assumed would be a lock to reunite with LeBron James and challenge the burgeoning Golden State Legion of Doom for next year’s NBA title to having meeting scheduled with three suitors in New York City, none of them the reigning NBA champs. All the while a deal with Miami sat on the table (and they waited for their turn in the Big Apple).
The Bucks meeting was canceled a day ahead of time. Then it was back on.
Wade met with the Nuggets early on Wednesday in a meeting that lasted 2.5 hours and had the Denver brass walking out feeling happy and saying their chances were 50/50.
The Bulls couldn’t catch a flight and had to cancel their meeting.
Wade reportedly wanted a three-year deal, which the Nuggets weren’t willing to give. Denver did, however, offer up $52 million over two years – a full $12 million more than Miami was offering.
Milwaukee couldn’t make the dollars work and had to walk away.
That left Denver, Miami and the absentee Bulls and their $47.5 million, two-year deal still in the ring. And that’s when Chicago started wheeling and dealing.
Chicago moved Jose Calderon to the Lakers and Mike Dunleavy to the Cavs and suddenly the cash was available and Wade was returning home, agreeing to terms with the Bulls.
The bad news for the Nuggets is they missed out on a player that would have filled seats at Pepsi Center. The good news is they still have buckets of cash to spend. But they better do it fast. The race for quality free agents is in high gear and the Nuggets just got lapped.
