The Miami Heat took a major step back when LeBron James decided to take his talents back to Cleveland a year ago and their situation didn’t get any better when Chris Bosh missed the second half of the season due to a serious medical condition. Bosh is expected to be back healthy for the start of the 2015-16 NBA season but according to recent reports, the Heat could be without the other remaining member of the Big Three that helped lead them to four straight NBA Final appearances.
According to those reports, Dwyane Wade and the Los Angeles Lakers have shown a mutual interest and could get a deal done in free agency. Here is a look at what Wade’s potential move to the Lakers would mean to the fantasy value of the major players on both rosters.
What Wade Brings To The Table
Before we evaluate the fantasy implications for everyone else, it’s important to recall that Wade is actually coming off a fairly strong season. He faded in the 2013-14 championship run and entering his age 33 season, everyone figured he would tap out. At that point, many people actually had hoped that come this current time, Wade would opt out. However, Wade had a very strong season, playing 62 games while scoring 21.5 points per game while contributing 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He also brought great leadership. He’ll be 34 in January and his days as an All-Star are long gone but last year he showed us he can still bring a lot to the table.
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
Bosh averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 44 appearances last season and if Wade leaves town, he could see a small bump up in his points and assists averages. Bosh’s health is obviously the most important concern and if he is back at 100% and leading Miami with Wade gone, it will only boost his overall fantasy stock.
Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
Dragic looked good down the stretch for the Heat and one of his conditions for returning to Miami was that head coach Erik Spoelstra would tailor the offense even more to his strengths. The word is that the Heat have agreed to do exactly that and if Wade does skip town and Dragic is re-signed, his value will go up as the primary ball handler on this team.
Justise Winslow, Miami Heat
The one Miami player who could benefit the most from Wade going to Los Angeles is Winslow, who the Heat selected 10th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. Winslow is supposedly more NBA-ready than a lot of other players and he’s a wing who can slash and get to the basket. If Wade is out of the picture, there will be plenty of minutes for Winslow to soak up right away.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Although there is the general thinking that Wade and Kobe will cut into each other’s production, that’s unlikely. The Lakers are still Kobe’s team and if there is one thing we’ve learned about him, it’s that he gets his touches no matter who he plays with. Kobe averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game is 35 games for Los Angeles last season and the bottom line for him is his health. Whether Wade is there or not won’t hurt his fantasy numbers.
Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers
Young’s fantasy value would probably be hurt the most by the potential addition of Wade or any other guards they add to the mix. He averaged 13.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game last season but that’s with Kobe missing most of the season. With him back and Wade getting action on the wing, Young’s numbers will get slashed.
Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers
Randle’s rookie season was limited to one appearance as he went down with a broken left kneecap in the season opener. Randle is considered among the cornerstones of this franchise moving forward but the potential addition of Wade – as well as any other free agent – will only take away from his immediate potential for fantasy production next season.
