National Basketball Association

Ranking Dwyane Wade's top 5 options in free agency

Published Jul. 6, 2016 1:00 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

With every passing day, the Miami Heat must grow more concerned that Dwyane Wade could actually leave.

On Wednesday, reports poured in about Wade continuing to meet with potential free agent suitors. As well as the Heat, the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are in the running for the 12-time All-Star.

.@KristineLeahy on Dwyane Wade: It's one thing to create leverage it's another thing to embarrass yourself. #TheHerd https://t.co/AH1tdNRzWN
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 6, 2016

And, of course, there's the looming specter of the Cleveland Cavaliers. While LeBron reportedly isn't courting Wade for a reunion in Ohio, the possibility that the two could team up once more hangs over Wade's decision.

The Heat have reportedly offered Wade a two-year, $40 million deal; he wants $25 million per season, especially after taking pay cuts for his team for so many years now. In all likelihood, the future Hall of Famer is merely using the threat of free agency to get that money he feels he deserves from Pat Riley. But that doesn't mean the Heat are Wade's best option moving forward. If he really does leave, it could be for a better basketball situation.

The Cavs belong on this list because we can't stop talking about Wade ending up in Cleveland, but it's not happening. Period. For one, neither Wade nor LeBron seems willing to take the kind of pay cut required to make it work. And more importantly, Wade's not the answer for the Cavaliers if they're trying to match Kevin Durant and the new-look Golden State Warriors. Let's move on.

You can understand why the Nuggets would be interested in Wade. Denver hasn't had a star player to put butts in the seats since the Carmelo Anthony trade to the New York Knicks.

And sure, if Wade wants to be the sole star on a team desperately in need of help, then the Nuggets would make sense for him. There are young, talented players on the roster and the combination of Wade and Wilson Chandler would be a top-notch duo on the wing. But that's all Denver has to offer from a basketball perspective.

Sources on @TheVertical: Free agent Dwyane Wade and Denver officials just completed a 2.5 hour meeting in New York.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 6, 2016

Wade signing with the Nuggets would be the surest indication that he's truly angry with the Heat and just wants to get paid these days. And there's nothing wrong with that! Everyone should try to earn as much money as possible, as long as it doesn't harm anyone else. Hooray, capitalism.

The Bucks could be the sweet spot of basketball ability and getting paid for Wade. Between Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker, Milwaukee's on the cusp of becoming a darkhorse Eastern Conference contender. Wade might be the one to push them into that next level, although there are questions about how well he'd fit with the Bucks. Milwaukee already struggled from the 3-point line last season, and that's the most glaring deficiency in Wade's game.

Still, the Bucks have the athletic wings to make up for any slippage in Wade's defense, and Milwaukee is kind of home, since Wade played two years at nearby Marquette University.

One bit of cap minutiae: Milwaukee would likely need to move Greg Monroe to accommodate Wade's contract demands -- although they're likely looking to make that move anyway.

GASP! How can the Heat not be Wade's best option?

I'll answer your hypothetical rhetorical question with a question of my own: Are we sure the Heat are going to be good at basketball next season?

Justise Winslow is great. Goran Dragic is pretty good, too. But do you really want to put your faith in Hassan Whiteside on such a hefty contract moving forward? He has one good year under his belt in the NBA, and even that might be pushing it. There's a reason he led the league in blocks last year with almost 100 more than the second-place guy. Whiteside chases swats. He's not a stout defender. He's rarely in the right position for an entire defensive possession, and the Heat have to rotate aggressively on the backside to make up for that.

When you have Chris Bosh available, that's fine. Bosh is one of the best help defenders in the NBA. Therein lies another question for Wade, however. We don't know if Bosh will ever set foot back on the court. If his medical condition forces Bosh to retire, the Heat are suddenly a mishmash of parts, not a cohesive unit.

You can count on coach Erik Spoelstra to make the most of any squad he's handed, true. And the Heat front office has always been able to make things work in the past. But Pat Riley is 71 years old. He can't do this forever -- and there's a chance his powers will start to fade as he ages. Wade likely sees the writing on the wall. The money simply makes for an easy scapegoat should he want to leave.

If the Heat had treated Wade like the most important player in franchise history, maybe this basketball talk would matter less. Wade seems like a loyal guy. All he wanted was for Miami to show him the respect he's earned and make right for taking less money over the years. Independent of that, though, this becomes a business decision. The Heat no longer get to sell Wade on loyalty. That good faith negotiation went out the window as soon as this started to drag on.

The Bulls aren't title contenders, to be sure. They have an unproven head coach, and they just traded one of the best players of the post-Michael Jordan era. There are big question marks in the frontcourt, too. Yet every team on Wade's "list" has problems; Chicago is uniquely positioned to offer solutions.

Yes, Rajon Rondo is overrated these days, but he'd be a great fit next to Wade. The former only wants to pass the ball, and Wade is one of the best scorers in the league -- even with his 35th birthday right around the corner. They're also two of the smartest players in the league. If any duo can figure out how to bend a defense to the breaking point without a lick of 3-point shooting between them, it's Rondo and Wade.

Add Jimmy Butler to the mix, and you have a formidable guard-and-wing core around. Those three players complement each other without takingmuch off the table -- although that 3-point shooting would remain a concern. Add Wade to the Bulls, and this is a playoff team that can win back some of the more casual fans who checked out after last year's awful regular season.

More than basketball, though, Wade going to Chicago would be about sticking it to Riley and the Heat. Take a look around the league. Unless Wade wants to sign with the Cavs, he's not winning a title in the next couple of seasons. And he knows it. Everyone does. So why not get paid and get even? Wade could follow in LeBron's footsteps by leaving Miami for his hometown -- remember, he was born in Chicago and played high school ball in Oak Lawn -- which would undoubtedly drive Riley mad. Wade's departure would tear down the facade of the "Heat Lifer," Miami's coy pitch to free agents that allows the Heat to sign guys for less money under the guise of loyalty.

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Wade's seen it all in Miami. He knows what it's like to be passed over by the Heat. If he can get paid, play basketball at a high level, and rub it in Riley's face, he should take the opportunity. A return to the Heat would be fine. But leaving for the Bulls? That would be divine.