Chicago Bulls: What stopped 2010 superteam from happening?

In the summer of 2010, the Chicago Bulls almost created one of the best teams ever assembled in NBA history, but one move proved costly.

Two of the NBA’s most coveted free agents at the time, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, hit the market in the summer of 2010, and reportedly had their eyes set on joining the Chicago Bulls. Both had Chicago at the top of their desired free agency destinations, and for good reasons.

Led by 21-year-old Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls finished with a lackluster 41-41 record the season prior but showcased tremendous upside. Rose, the former Rookie of the Year winner, received his first All-Star nomination that year and looked to be one of the NBA’s ascending stars at the time.

Had James and Wade signed with the Bulls and paired with the young Rose, that team arguably would have three top ten players on their team to start the season. Rose likely would not have gone onto win the Most Valuable Player award as he did that year, but with two other superstars beside him, it would not have mattered for their overall success.

Ultimately, Chicago’s inability to bring in Chris Bosh, along with James and Wade, was the deciding factor in them having chosen the Miami Heat over the Bulls. Wade, who joined his hometown Bulls in 2016 for a brief stint, opened up about the whole free agency situation to CSN Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill.

Luol Deng, who was a prominent member of the Chicago Bulls at the time, was a significant factor in the group’s decision to join the Heat. The Bulls were in advanced talks with the LA Clippers to trade Deng’s $11.3 million salary to free up the necessary cap space for the trio. When that never went through, all bets were off.

In his discussion with Goodwill, Wade added, “it would’ve been a different story,” if Deng was traded to the Clippers that summer.

Thinking of what a lineup that consisted of peak Rose, Wade, James, Bosh, and possibly Joakim Noah might have accomplished remains a mystery, but a championship or two remains the bare minimum. This scenario created so many what ifs”that it is difficult to judge in its entirety.

Would this team still be winning today? Would Derrick Rose have ever gotten injured in the first place? Would the Bulls have once again become a dynasty? The answers will remain forever unknown, only left to speculate about what could have possibly been.

If this team assembled, they had the potential to be one of the best in NBA history. The sheer firepower in this lineup would be unmatched. On their own, Rose and Noah led the Bulls to a 62-20 record in 2010-11 and just missed out on a trip to the NBA Finals because of the Big Three Heat. Had the group been paired up instead, there was arguably no team that could have stopped them for years to come if Derrick Rose stayed healthy.

Instead, that season played out with Miami having defeated the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals only to lose in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. A 22-year-old Derrick Rose secured league MVP honors as the youngest player to ever do so, and the rest is history.

While the entire situation never came to light, it is mesmerizing to think about what that group could have accomplished in Chicago if that Luol Deng trade to the Clippers went down.