If the Bulls were smart Sunday, they wouldn’t just beat the Heat in their first game of the Dwyane Wade Recruitment Tour.
They would clear out occasionally and let Derrick Rose work his wondrous, driving magic.
They would encourage Joakim Noah to run the floor, power home a dunk and let loose one of his patented primal screams.
They would share the ball selflessly on offense, get in the Heat’s faces on defense (well, OK, maybe provide Wade a driving lane now and then) and basically do all the things Wade’s team did when he led it to the 2006 NBA championship.
You know, just to plant the seed that things are attractive enough for the former Richards High star to come home.
Most of all, in a nod to the 2000 free-agent disaster that netted the Bulls Ron Mercer and Brad Miller, they would make sure Benny the Bull, the LuvaBulls and the welcoming band stayed at O’Hare.
OK, so the official recruitment period doesn’t begin until July 1. And there’s no guarantee Wade will leave Miami or the Bulls won’t engineer an in-season trade — similar to February’s acquisition of Miller and John Salmons — that will affect their salary-cap situation.
It also should be noted no Bulls official has said Wade will be the team’s No. 1 priority next summer if he becomes a free agent.
Still, as it stands, the Bulls are poised to be one of approximately seven teams with significant salary-cap space to pursue free agents in an unprecedented class that could include Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson.
NBA officials are prohibited from discussing prospective free agents. But one Eastern Conference executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity, talked glowingly of a potential Rose-Wade pairing.
“I’ve heard some people say both need the ball in their hands too much to be effective,” the executive said. “I don’t see that as an issue at all. Wade doesn’t get credit for how well he moves without the ball. And great players always find a way to make it work.”
The NBA league office issued a memo last July warning teams the salary cap for the 2010-11 season could drop from its current $57.7 million to the low $50 millions. And the Bulls have two situations — Salmons’ player opt-out and Tyrus Thomas’ restricted free agency — that make it impossible to predict their exact amount of salary-cap space.
But it could be as high as $13 million.
Before any Bulls’ Wade jerseys are printed, it’s instructional to note the Heat can offer the league’s defending leading scorer the highest annual raises — 10.5 percent as opposed to 8 — and offer an extra year on his contract.
In other words, the Cavaliers can re-sign James to a six-year contract or the Heat can do the same with Wade, while all the other suitors can offer only five-year deals. In Wade’s case, projecting the salary-cap figure to be around $52-53 million, that is a difference of roughly $30 million.
For all the gossipy buzz Wade created when he purchased a tony townhouse in Chicago last summer, it’s also noteworthy Wade has established strong roots in South Florida with charity and endorsement work.
In a recent interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Wade assessed his situation pragmatically.
“On the business side of things I put myself in the position where I can control some of my own destiny,” Wade said. “And that’s hopefully right here in Miami.”
Still, it’s fun to dream, and the Bulls get another up-close look at Wade Sunday.
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kcjohnson@tribune.com
