LeBron James to the Bulls? Franchise almost landed Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and four-time MVP before their team-up in Miami, reveals team insider

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade came close to joining the Chicago Bulls in order to team up with Derrick Rose.

LeBron James to the Bulls? Franchise almost landed Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and four-time MVP before their team-up in Miami, reveals team insider

Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (via Bleacher Report)

LeBron James stands as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players of all time. He has cultivated success for every team he has joined. In Miami, James led them to championships, reigniting their playoff prowess after the 2006 win. His unique comeback in 2016 secured Cleveland’s first-ever championship.

Following a 10-year drought, the 38-year-old brought a championship to the Lakers. After the 2009-10 season, during which LeBron James claimed the MVP for the regular season, he dominated on the court despite lacking a formidable team. Unfortunately, this deficiency led to a second-round exit against his arch-rival, the Boston Celtics.

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There was speculation about LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers via free agency. Multiple teams were engaged in discussions, but ultimately, he took his talents to South Beach. There, he clinched two MVPs, two FMVPs, and two Championships. A report by K.C Johnson reveals discussions of LeBron’s potential move to the Chicago Bulls.

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It also indicates that he could have been accompanied by one of his Miami teammates, Dwyane Wade. However, a trade involving Loul Deng to the Clippers fell through. This caused the Big 3 to form not in Chicago, but rather in Miami. Johnson wrote, “Trust me on that one – if the Bulls had managed to trade Luol Deng to the Clippers, as they had discussed, the Big 3 would’ve found themselves in Chicago.”

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Dwyane Wade talks about almost signing to the Chicago Bulls

Dwyane Wade talks about he almost signed with Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade and Lebron James (via Milwaukee Journal)

In 2010, the Chicago Bulls had room for two max contracts, coinciding with the free agency period of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. A franchise with such an illustrious history, like Chicago, stood out as a preferred destination for any free agent on the market.

However, instead of teaming up with future MVP Derrick Rose, Wade and LeBron chose to join forces with Chris Bosh in the Chicago Bulls. During an appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, Dwyane Wade mentioned that Chicago had the capacity to sign him and LeBron with two max contracts.

However, the idea of teaming up with D-Rose didn’t align with their vision. LeBron, who excelled as the primary ball handler, had had to share ball responsibilities with both D-Rose and D-Wade, which could have disrupted the functionality of the offense. Nevertheless, joining the Bulls was still a prominent option for both players.

Wade provided further elaboration, stating that similar to numerous other teams, Chicago possessed the funds for two max contracts. However, the 2006 Champions possessed sufficient cap space to secure max contracts for all three players: LeBron, Wade, and Bosh and indeed they did. This trio propelled the team to four consecutive NBA Finals and secured two championships, ultimately solidifying the legacies of each of the three players.

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