Fantasy Fallout: Dwyane Wade has made the Bulls backcourt somewhat crowded
Here are the fantasy implications following the Chicago Bulls reportedly agreeing to sign SG Dwyane Wade to a two-year, $47.5 million contract:
The Dwyane Wade two-year, $47.5M deal with Chicago includes a player option, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 7, 2016
Twitter was aflutter leading up to an announcement -- any announcement -- that SG Wade would be signing in Chicago. That only became more apparent later into the night, though it seemed from the get go that he was leaving South Beach for certain.
With the Bulls also signing free agent PG Rajon Rondo, a shuffling of the starting lineup is in the cards, which could be interesting for fantasy perspectives. If this moves SG Jimmy Butler to small forward, he will likely gain eligibility at two positions, which would be fantastic in all drafts.
The concern has to be with health and durability. Wade, at 34, has played 70 games only once since 2010-11 and that was this past season. He's been a workhorse when he's been on the court. He was a sixth or seventh round pick in most 2015 drafts and this move is not likely to improve that. Butler also dealt with injuries in 2015-16.
Rondo is the one who could see his value improve, as he wasn't being drafted within the top 100 in most drafts last season. Considering how dire the Bulls frontcourt looks at the moment, someone's going to need to put points on the board even though neither Rondo nor Wade are elite shooters.
The new-look Bulls will be a curiosity heading into camp. Coach Fred Hoiberg will likely shuffle things around to accommodate Butler's scoring ability -- he averaged 20.9 points per game last season. With Rondo, who led the league with 11.7 assists per game, dishing him the ball, it could make for a high-value fantasy tandem.
Wade's usage will be of interest. Butler remains the main attraction in Chicago, or should. Wade will likely be the secondary scorer since C Robin Lopez is not an offensive powerhouse and PF Nikola Mirotic is maddeningly inconsistent.
As far as early speculation is concerned, here's where I'd draft the projected starters if the fantasy draft were held today:
| PLAYER | ROUND |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Butler | 2 |
| Rajon Rondo | 5-6 |
| Dwyane Wade | 8 |
| Robin Lopez | 9-10 |
| Nikola Mirotic | 11 |
Mirotic and Wade would likely already be off the board by then, but they're not worth reaching for because of the question marks. Wade can still play, but he's not a top-60 name anymore.
Other Notes
- To make room for Wade's salary, the Bulls dealt SG Mike Dunleavy to the Cleveland Cavaliers and newly-acquired PG Jose Calderon to the Los Angeles Lakers. Neither will feature into season-long fantasy lineups with much urgency, though both should see relatively affordable DFS salaries early in the year. They'll be coming off their respective benches.
- Will this hurt C Hassan Whiteside's and PG Goran Dragic's value? If PF Chris Bosh isn't at full strength -- or doesn't play at all -- the Miami Heat have dropped considerably. Whiteside might benefit in fantasy as the focal point and is easily the most valuable in Miami and should be drafted by the third round in most drafts.