LeBron James could have played for Chicago Bulls like Michael Jordan; Wade and Bosh were pursued too

Tanishk Thilakan
|PublishedJun 29, 2020

LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were pursued by Chicago Bulls, but the deal did not go through with the trio joining Miami Heat

Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh led Miami Heat to two NBA titles and four finals. The trio seemed destined to team up in the year 2010. But Chicago Bulls had keen interest to land the trio. The Bulls hadn’t won any championships since the days of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson.

But what factors made the trio select the Heat over the Bulls?

Derrick Rose’s lack of participation in recruiting the stars, the Bulls’ cap situation and LeBron James’ contentious relationship with Joakim Noah, were reasons why the deal didn’t happen.

Wade took the lead role in his and Bosh’s negotiations. When he met with the Heat after talking with the Bulls, Miami pitched him its plan to sign three superstars. Wade then suggested that strategy to Chicago in a follow-up meeting. The Bulls only had cap space for two stars and they opted to prefer Wade and Bosh. LeBron was the wild pick and hence, the Bulls did not prioritize him.

According to @WindhorstESPN, there were 3 factors to why LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh chose Miami over the Chicago Bulls:

1) Derrick Rose’s lack of participation in recruiting.

2) The Bulls cap situation.

3) LeBron’s “acrimonious relationship” with Joakim Noah.

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 29, 2020

Did the Chicago Bulls’ players take keen interest in recruiting the trio?

Rose declined an active role in the recruitment process, offering only a video for the Bulls’ pitch, and the Big Three “noted Rose’s missing enthusiasm.” That forced Noah to take the lead among Bulls players, which did not help Chicago’s chances with James given the public barbs they traded in the past. When Noah called James, LeBron never returned his call and thus, the negotiations took a hit.

But, Miami offered the trio an easy path and thus, it formed the basis of the golden period in the history of the Miami Heat. Four consecutive finals appearances, two NBA titles, multiple All-star appearances and multiple golden moments later, the Heat would be happy to have recruited the trio. As for the Bulls, it would surely go down as one of the biggest what ifs in the history of the franchise.

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