Chicago Bulls: Assessing Future Of Dwyane Wade

With Dwyane Wade out for the season due to an elbow injury and the Chicago Bulls potentially not making the playoffs, are the NBA superstar's days here numbered?

The Chicago Bulls are at a crossroads.

At 33-38 as of Wednesday, they hold the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference–still in the mix for a playoff berth, but potentially missing the postseason for a second consecutive season.

It certainly has not been an easy season for them. After a busy summer full of promise, the Bulls fell flat. The front office continued to prove it had no direction. The coaching still did not fit the needs of the team. The roster stayed problematic.

In other words, 2015-16 turned out not to be rock bottom after all.

Even if Chicago does manage to make the playoffs, 2016-17 was well … a hot mess.

Which begs the question of: why would anyone want to be a part of this organization right now?

Despite the glaring issues that come out of the franchise, however, there are still definitely alluring aspects to it. That starts with its history. A long way from the glory days, the Bulls still have their legacy backing them up.

The city of Chicago is also a huge draw, not only as a destination but with regard to the market as well. It helps that the team is part of the Eastern Conference, a place where even struggling organizations can stay afloat.

And of course, the organization now has big names like Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade to help reel guys in.

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For now, at least.

Wade has a player option for 2017-18, which means that this summer, he can either choose to come back to the Bulls for $23.8 million or test the waters of free agency starting in July.

It's a decision that has an equal number of parties declaring each choice the obviously correct one.

Some are arguing that the star would be crazy not to play out the second season of his contract in Chicago. First and foremost, $23.8 million is no small sum and one not many worthwhile teams could dish out this upcoming offseason.

Take that, coupled with the fact that the veteran is 35 years old, and it seems unlikely that, monetarily, he could do much better.

However, there are others that laugh at the mere thought of Wade sticking around. Although this technically is the guard's hometown, he has called South Beach home for the last 13 years. So his connection to the city may not be all that strong.

More importantly, though, the Bulls are in the midst of chaos that, without major changes made top to bottom, will undoubtedly continue into next year. There seems to be no reason why Wade would want to finish out his career under such circumstances.

So what could Wade's future hold if he did not return to Chicago?

Never rule out a second run with the Miami Heat.

President Pat Riley may have been the reason Wade left in the first place, but underestimating his powers of persuasion would be a mistake. With enough groveling, Riley should be able to earn Wade's forgiveness.

All in all, Wade leaving was a mistake in the first place. He is and will always be a lifer.

And logistically, the Heat are slated to have roughly $40 million to spend this summer, which gives them the ability to afford re-signing Wade on a short-term contract.

Whether or not Miami is looking to bring him back is an entirely different story.

Goran Dragic has blossomed post-Wade's departure, the team entering a youth movement which has allowed the guard to run the floor at his desired pace. Stuck playing in Wade's offense in 2015-16, Dragic was unable to perform to his true potential.

Losing such high-level production from Dragic would hurt the team immensely.

Plus, knowing that Wade only has a few more years left in him at best may have the organization evaluating whether or not they want to throw their money at someone who cannot help them long term.