Dwyane Wade buys a new home in Chicago. Normally, such news might be relegated to a small item in a gossip column or the real estate section.
But because Wade can opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat next summer and become an unrestricted free agent, news of Wade's purchase -- a $1.4 million riverfront townhouse downtown -- has created quite a stir on the Internet. Does that mean D-Wade is planning to leave the Heat and join the Bulls (who will be big spenders on the free-agent market) next season?
Does it at least make the possibility more probable?
The answer to both questions is an emphatic ''no.''
Sadly, this is what passes for news in the Internet age.
Wade is a native of the Chicago area and always has spent a good deal of the offseason in the city. He is recently divorced, and there's nothing unusual about him buying a home.
There has been speculation that spending so much money might be a sign that this is more than just a second home, but Wade will make nearly $16 million this season.
He can afford to spend $1.4 million for a second home. Besides, Wade isn't the first NBA player who plays elsewhere to buy a home in the Kinzie Park development.
Shawn Marion, a former teammate of Wade, has owned a townhouse there for more than a year. The development is attractive to athletes who aren't home frequently because it is gated and has constant security patrols.
Though Wade grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and the Bulls , he has made a name for himself in Miami, and the weather during the season is much more appealing in South Florida.
The Bulls certainly could use Wade, but they might be better off spending on a big man.
Besides, if Wade was making a real estate purchase based on his interest in joining the Bulls next season, he probably would have bought something on the North Shore closer to the Bulls' training facility in Deerfield.
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