NEWSLETTER
During a recent episode of NBC Sports Chicago’s Bulls Talk Podcast, K.C. Johnson decided to punch us in the gut! While addressing Dwyane Wade’s recent induction into the Hall of Fame and his one-year stint with the Chicago Bulls, the long-time beat reporter reflected on the summer of 2010.
Of course, this was the year that LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade each hit the free-agent market. The trio ended up forming the iconic “Big 3” in Miami, which went on to win two titles and appear in four-straight NBA Finals. We all know by now that the Bulls were rumored to be in the mix for at least one of those stars (here’s an old ESPN report to cry over), but Johnson reiterated that adding all three was very much on the table.
“I was reporting it hard at the time, and everyone was calling me crazy saying it was made up. I was working at the Tribune at the time, I was well-sourced on that story,” Johnson said. “It was legit close here … I got called an idiot a lot. People saying, ‘oh, they hatched the plan at the Olympics and it was always going to be the Heat, and they were just playing the Bulls.’
No, that’s not accurate. In fact, it’s now well-documented, if the Bulls were able to trade Luol Deng to the Clippers, which they had talks about doing, that Big 3 would have been in Chicago. Trust me on that one. It was just close to happening.”
Every time I hear this … I die a little more inside. Remember when Wade also basically confirmed this back when he signed with Chicago in 2016? If not, feel free to take a barefoot walk down that Lego-infested memory lane here.
As much as I went on to despise the Miami Heat in the early 2010s, I’m not going to pretend like I wouldn’t have been the most obnoxious Bulls fan in the world the moment those three landed in Chicago. Sure, it would have gotten in the way of the bond the city formed with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, but there would also likely be a couple of more banners hanging from the rafters at the United Center right now. Championships speak volumes.
Ugh. It’s just another reminder of the Bulls’ shockingly bad resume in free agency. You’d think that one of the more prestigious franchises in all of sports would have a better track record, but landing DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso will arguably remain the organization’s best summer for quite some time.
