CHICAGO — Dwyane Wade hopes a decision on his future will come next week, and said Saturday his new contract will be about more than just where he plays basketball the next few years.
“I’ve got a decision to make, and I’ve got a weekend to think about it,” Wade told Chicago’s NBC-Channel 5 outside a downtown hotel. “Hopefully, at the beginning of next week sometime, I’ll make that decision.”
The Chicago native is one of the top prizes in a star-studded, free-agent market that includes LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
He met twice with the Bulls this week, had sessions with the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets, and also was contacted by Miami. All have enough salary-cap space to land two top-tier free agents, with the Heat possibly in position to bring in two stars to go with Wade.
“I think that the organizations I’ve been brought in to meet with are all good organizations,” Wade, who led the Heat to the championship in 2006, told the TV station. “And all can add something to my life, and not just basketball-wise. I understand that if myself and another guy, and we have some good players around, we’ll be good. To me it’s about what makes 40 years of my life and not just about the next 10.”
Wade acknowledged the idea of playing for his hometown team intrigues him, saying he loves Chicago and that he had “very interesting” meetings with the Bulls. With one of the game’s top young point guards in Derrick Rose and back-to-back playoff appearances, they would figure to be championship contenders if they added one or two of the top free agents.
But there was one issue Wade had to address when they met. That was the comments he made to the Chicago Tribune in late May, when he questioned the Bulls’ loyalty to their stars.
“I think now the Bulls understand, because it was one of the first things addressed in the meeting,” he said. “We’ve cleared it up, and they totally get it and totally understand what I was saying. … It’s over with, we’ve moved forward. I think that they’re excited about the meetings we had, and actually, me and (agent Henry Thomas) are as well.
“Like I said, I’ve got a couple teams in this that I’ve met with. Of the four teams that I’ve met with, all of them are, you know – makes it hard. It makes it a tough decision. So it won’t be easy.”