Dwyane Wade

After spending the first 13 years of his career with the Heat, Wade finally traveled outside of Miami and signed with Chicago, the city that he grew up in. Playing alongside Jimmy Butler, Wade was solid once again and hovered around the 30-minute mark for a third straight season. However, a small fracture in his right elbow ended up costing him 11 games and he also had a few other nicks and bruises that eventually kept him to a total of 60 games played, marking his lowest total over the last three years. Wade saw his points per game fall slightly to 18.3 points, while adding 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals. He also attempted to extend his range and shot 31 percent from the three-point line, which was better than his career clip of 28.7 percent, though it certainly wasn't anything spectacular. With a $24.3 million player option sitting on the table for the upcoming season, Wade had no choice but to opt in, as he had no shot of receiving that type of money elsewhere. However, the Bulls are now heading into a rebuild and decided to trade Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves for some young assets in the offseason, leaving Wade as one of only a few proven scorers on the roster. Wade certainly could be traded at some point prior to or during the 2017-18 campaign, while a buyout is also an option. With all that being said, he's going into his 15th season in the NBA, so his playing time could ultimately be scaled back in an effort to give him more rest no matter where he lands. When you add that to the fact that Wade has played less than 70 games in five of the last six seasons, that certainly brings some concerns as a Fantasy prospect. If he remains with the Bulls, Wade will likely get plenty of opportunities to approach or surpass his production from a season ago. However, his role could certainly change if he's traded to another organization or is bought out, bringing plenty of uncertainty over his Fantasy value.

In an offseason that featured a number of high-profile moves, Wade's decision to head north to Chicago was among the most surprising. The 14-year veteran, a three-time champion and undisputed face of the Heat franchise, has seen his production tail off over the last few seasons, but remains an All-Star-caliber guard when healthy. In 74 games last season, his most since 2010-11, Wade averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor. His three-point shooting dipped to a career-worst 15.9 percent, however, a concerning figure as his athleticism and slashing ability begin to wane. The transition to Chicago represents a new phase in Wade's career, one that could see him take a back seat to two-time All-Star Jimmy Butler. While Wade will certainly be a key offensive contributor, Butler is the superior all-around player at this point in their careers. Wade, who ranked fifth in the NBA in usage rate last season, will likely see fewer opportunities in 2016-17, so a slight dip in production is a reasonable expectation. Concerns remain regarding Wade's ability to play alongside Butler, as well as fellow offseason pickup Rajon Rondo, since all three are weak shooters who prefer to operate with the ball in their hands. The presence of Butler should enable the veteran to better preserve his body over the course of 82 games, but the change of scenery and presumed surrendering of alpha dog status make Wade's fantasy value more difficult to discern than ever before.

Wade's typical ailments kept him sidelined for 20 games over the course of the 2014-15 season, and the combination of injuries and increasing age appear to be taking a toll on Wade's overall efficiency. He finished the season with averages of 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 32 minutes per game but shot just 47 percent from the field, the 11-time All-Star's lowest mark since the 2007-08 season. Now, as he enters his 13th NBA season on a one-year, $20 million contract, Wade will likely have less of an offensive burden on his hands with Goran Dragic signed to a new five-year extension and Chris Bosh back and healthy. This should only help him stay healthy, as while Wade still serves as a solid finisher at the basket and facilitator, injuries have worn down Wade's body, so a lighter load could lead to a more efficient season. His outside shooting continues to regress, however, as he shot under 30 percent from behind the arc for the fourth straight season. Nevertheless, Wade will still be important to Miami's team success, and he is a positive contributor in nearly every category, especially steals, where he is essentially a lock to record at least one a game.

Wade is entering the 12th season of his career. The current all-time leading scorer for the Heat signed a two-year deal in the offseason and will try to usher in a new era of Miami basketball without LeBron James. At 32-years-old, Wade dealt with knee injuries throughout last season and was limited to just 54 games. The former Marquette Golden Eagle managed to average 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 0.2 three-pointers per contest last season, but he'll be asked to contribute more this upcoming season. Wade's health will be crucial for the Heat in 2014-15, and he addressed this in the offseason by losing weight with the Paleo diet to help reduce the stress on his knees. His production has been on the decline over the past six seasons, but he'll be at the forefront the Heat's offense alongside Chris Bosh and Luol Deng. Even with lingering knee problems and the decline in production recently, Wade has proven he can contribute in almost every category. Contrary to most shooting guards, he's averaged one block per game during his career while shooting a measly 28 percent from beyond the arc In that same time span.

For the second consecutive campaign, the perennially-injured Wade made his health for the postseason the utmost priority, sitting out 13 regular season contests to preserve his body for the games that counted the most. Even then, he continued to be troubled by knee injuries throughout the playoffs, averaging only 15.9 points per game on 46 percent shooting, a stark drop-off from his numbers during the regular season. After the Heat won the NBA Finals, Wade received shockwave treatment on his knee in the offseason to stimulate healing, and he believes he won't have any issues with the knee to open the 2013-14 campaign, but history suggests it's just a matter of time before Wade's health deteriorates. Coach Erik Spoelstra figures to manage Wade's minutes carefully once again, and while his postseason production may prove to be more of an aberration than the norm, it seems apparent that he's only going to take more of a backseat to LeBron James moving forward. Though he'll probably see his typical court time this season, on nights when he's in the lineup and can still be counted on to deliver useful multi-category production, it's not difficult to envision Wade transitioning into a Manu Ginobili-type role in the coming years as a player counted on for only 25-30 high-impact minutes a night.

Wade ended up taking on a greater supporting role to LeBron James in the second year of their union, dropping his scoring by over three points per game and seeing his rebounds fall by nearly two per game. The trend continued during the Heat’s title run in the playoffs, as Wade’s scoring and rebounding crept up only marginally despite receiving six more minutes per game. On the health front, Wade once again had issues staying healthy, missing 17 games during the season. He was also forced to sit out the Summer Olympics after undergoing left knee surgery in the offseason. Wade is expected to be fully healthy for training camp, but how long the good health will last will always remains a pertinent question. Wade will turn 31 in January, and with James at the apex of his career, Wade could be content to settle into even more of a sidekick capacity, especially after the team added sharpshooter Ray Allen in free agency. The potential for a reduced workload and a lengthy injury history make Wade’s value a bit tenuous, though he offers across-the-board production if fantasy owners can temper their expectations and accept that he is on the down slope of his career.

Even with LeBron James playing on his team and dominating the ball, Wade maintained his status as the best shooting guard in fantasy last season. Where he gave up a little production in the assists category, Wade picked up his production on the glass. Through 76 games played, Wade averaged 25.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.8 three-pointers, 1.5 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 3.1 turnovers in 37 minutes. Wade relies heavily on his athleticism to get to the basket and post a lofty mark of 50 percent shooting from the field. He’ll turn 30 this season, and there’s going to come a point when he has to start settling more. While that may not be this season, it’s a growing risk with each passing year. Nonetheless, Wade has proven he’ll find other ways to keep his production at a superstar level and contribute heavily in fantasy. As he continues to advance into his 30s, Wade’s defensive stats could also fall, but we may see his contributions from beyond the arc rise.

Provided that you've recently been in prison or on a fishing vessel or something, here's the relevant newsflash: LeBron James and Chris Bosh are joining Dwyane Wade in Miami. Yes, actually. Whether that's the first time you've heard it or not, as a fantasy owner your first instinct will be to wonder how that affects the likely production of any of the Heat's Big Three. More on that in a moment. First, a brief review of Wade's resume. Beginning with the 2004-05 season – his second in the league – Wade has averaged at least 24 points, four rebounds, and six assists per game. Beyond those most conspicuous of stats, he's contributed elsewhere, as well: the guard has averaged 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over his seven-year career. Add to that a lifetime 48.2 field-goal percentage, and what you're looking at is a player who, given the requisite minutes and touches, is likely to contend for Top-5 status among all fantasy ballers. Of course, with James and Bosh now in the fold in Miami, it's only natural to wonder if those touches will be there. The quick answer? Yes, they will. The slightly longer one? It's entirely likely that Wade approaches the same number of field goal attempts as in years past. Consider: last year, in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol averaged 45.1 field goal attempts per game; in Atlanta, the top three guys averaged a little over 44 attempts per game. And it needs to be noted: both those teams feature stronger supporting casts than this Miami squad.

Wade did a whole lot more than prove the doubters wrong last season. He absolutely silenced them by putting up the best numbers of his six-year career. After putting up rock solid numbers during the first half of the season (28.3 points, 7 assists, 5 assists, 0.9 threes), Wade somehow managed to improve upon them over the second half. He was brilliant over the final 30-game stretch, and his averages of 33.9 points, 8.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 treys tied him for first with fantasy-MVP Chris Paul in per-game value after the All-Star break. Wade finished the season ranked third behind Paul and LeBron James, and heads into this season as the consensus third overall pick. Wade’s dominance was well-documented as he made several appearances on the top-10 categorical leaderboards: first in scoring (30.2), second in steals (2.2), and eighth in assists (7.5). He also surprised us all by making some unexpected strides, playing in 79 games (keep in mind only one of those three missed games was due to injury) while showing increased proficiency from beyond the arc (1.1 treys per game and 31.7 percent were both career-highs). The likely improvement of teammates Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers should only help take some of the pressure off of Wade. So long as he stays healthy, expect elite production in 2009-10.

Wade looked like his spectacular self during the Olympics, with no signs of the knee or shoulder injuries that have plagued him for the past two seasons. When healthy, Wade uses his incredible combination of speed, explosiveness and strength to fly by his opponents at will. He was peaking two seasons ago, averaging over 30 points, almost eight assists, more than five boards and almost four combined blocks/steals per game in the months leading up to his shoulder and knee injuries. The only thing missing from the repertoire is the consistent 3-point shot, and he was even showing some signs of adding that to his game. And with Shawn Marion and exciting rookie Michael Beasley in the fold with him, Wade could soon find himself back on top of the league if he remains healthy.

Wade’s status for this season is something of a question mark. When healthy, he’s obviously one of the top guards in the league and right in the conversation with Bryant for top shooting guard honors. But he’s not healthy – his recovery from offseason shoulder and knee surgery is expected to drag into the regular season, and there’s no telling how much time he’ll miss. Before the injuries mounted, Wade was putting up his typical stellar numbers last season; he went through January and February posting over 30 points per game along with eight assists, five boards and around four blocks/steals combined. His uncertain health is sure to make Wade slip a bit on draft day – make sure you don’t let him slip too far.

Wade made the leap last season from “star” to “superstar”, and now with a championship ring and finals MVP trophy on the mantle he is one of the most important players in the NBA. Fantasy-wise, The Flash improved almost across the board in his third season, increasing his scoring average to 27.2 ppg (5th in NBA) on a ridiculous 49.5% shooting from the field (18.8 FGA per game) and a respectable 78% from the line (10.7 FTA per game) while also dishing 6.7 assists per game and setting new career-highs in rebounds (5.7 rpg) and steals (1.9 spg). Wade also contributes almost a block per game, which is very solid from the backcourt. With Wade’s ever-increasing stature in the league, his lightning-quickness off the dribble, and the continued league-wide emphasis against hand-checking on defense that makes it easier to drive to the rim, there is a good chance that he improves his scoring and free-throw attempt numbers again this season.

After a promising rookie year, Wade exploded last season, becoming one of the most dynamic and valuable players in the NBA. Wade is the best of the new generation combo guards that shuffle between the shooting guard and point guard positions, giving fantasy owners a multi-category boost. “The Flash” is incredibly quick, especially off the dribble, and his knee-buckling crossover has left many defenders on the floor. At 6-4, 212, Wade is sturdy enough to take the ball to the rim and absorb the punishment while often completing the 3-point play. He uses his incredibly long arms (6-11 wingspan) to be a defensive nuisance as the only shooting guard to produce more than 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Playing next to Jason Williams this year could lead to a slight decrease in Wade’s 6.8 assists/game, but should allow him to concentrate even more on scoring. Considering he already averaged 24.1 points on excellent 48% field goal shooting, that is a scary thought. The only fantasy weakness for Wade is his lack of 3-point range (only .2 3s/game), but chances are that he will improve on this area incrementally over the next few seasons.

The Wade-to-Shaq combination should rack up points early and often this year in Miami, so Wade's assist totals should go way up with lots of dumps inside to the big guy. When defenses collapse on O'Neal, Wade is explosive enough to score on his own, and should improve on last year's average of 16.2 ppg. Wade can give you 4-5 rebounds a game as well, which is a nice bonus from the point guard position, and he racks up about a steal and a half per game. Wade showed great maturity and leadership ability for a rookie last year, and he should work together with Shaq very well on a team that finished last season on a major hot streak.

The biggest question mark on the team and potentially the one with the most significant impact is that of the play of Dwayne Wade. If you watched the NCAA tournament in March, you surely acknowledged Wade’s dominance en route to leading an otherwise vanilla Marquette team to the final four. The concern is that he was playing his natural position of shooting guard, and the offense was drawn around him. In his rookie season, he is being asked to make the move to point guard and to run the offense himself. This is a major transition for anyone, let alone a 21 year old who has never stepped on an NBA court. All that being said, we expect Riley to stick with the youngster through thick and thin. As any smart fantasy player knows, if the minutes are there these guys can produce, and the minutes will be there. Look for 12-14 pts per game with a handful of assists to boot. If he falls in your draft take a risk on the kid, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.