Unless you have been living under a rock the past few days, you have heard that Dwyane Wade has decided to come back to his hometown Chicago. However the talk around Elmhurst is not that he is coming to the Bulls, but nearly every Bulls fan around the country is debating if it was a smart decision by the team.

When the Bulls got rid of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol this offseason, they made it clear they wanted to rebuild around Jimmy Butler. However the signings of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade shows that they may have changed their minds.

Usually when a team claims they want to rebuild they go for younger and cheaper players and use the draft to get their franchise player or superstar. However after dumping their older players, the Bulls went on to sign a 30 year old Rajon Rondo who lead the league in assists per game last season.

Then making an even bolder move by going to get 34-year-old Dwyane Wade who is coming off a great season in which he lead his Miami Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls raised this question for fans: is this really a rebuild or just a reformation with a new core? Many students think this was a smart idea and the Bulls could become really good with these players. But many also think that this was a wrong decision due to the age factor of these players.

“It was a very smart decision to sign Wade because with Rose, and Noah gone the Bulls lack that leadership,” said freshman Anthony Lapiana, “Wade brings that along with the experience of winning multiple titles.”

When Joakim Noah left Chicago and signed with the New York Knicks, the Bulls lost not only their leader, but the player who played with the most heart and intensity each game. He wasn’t known by the fans as the best scorer or rebounder, but the player who hustled the most and gave his all. During his Bulls years he won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013-14, was All-NBA in 2014, and was a two-time NBA All-Star in 2013 and 2014. While he may not have had a big impact in the stat book, Noah will leave behind a big legacy in Chicago.

“They need a veteran or two to help the rookies progress as players,” said freshman Sean Solem. “He will be a starter and will be able to help his hometown team.”

During the offseason the Bulls did manage to lose four of their five starters. The only remaining one from last season is shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who is 27, and looks to be the player the Bulls will build around.

It seems like many in Elmhurst are ready to welcome home their hometown star.

“We needed a good leader to lead the younger players,” said freshman Jake Hansmann. “He can still be a key asset with Butler.”

What the Bulls will most likely do is move the 6’7 Jimmy Butler back to small forward and put the 6’4 Dwyane Wade at shooting guard to include both stars in the lineup.

The two are both Marquette alumni. While they did not play there together — Wade played from 2000 to 2003 and Butler from 2008 to 2011– they have expressed their interest in playing with one another. There was rumor of Butler recruiting Wade to Chicago along with Rajon Rondo according to NESN.com.

Another big question commonly debated is whether or not Wade will be a good fit into head coach Fred Hoiberg’s system.

“I don’t think he will fit in immediately,” said Freshman Kameron Stearns. “But he will definitely be a big contributor to the team.”

Solem agrees that Wade will be a good fit but references his reputation for being a team player.

“Yes, Wade will fit into the system,” said Solem. “Because he plays as a team not an individual.

It is definitely known that Wade is a great team player. After his 13 seasons with Miami, Wade holds many records in Heat history, one being most assists. He currently has 4,944 career assists, which is 59th on the all-time list. Hopefully if he keeps it up in Chicago he can move up a couple of spots on that list.

“I think Wade will fit into the system well,” said Hansmann. “Now the Bulls have a little wiggle room because Wade can play multiple positions.”

Wade has been able to play three different positions over the course of his career (point guard/shooting guard/small forward). With the size of Rondo , he will mainly be at point guard. And since Butler is bigger than Wade, you should see Wade playing shooting guard most of the time.

After the Bulls signed Wade, it was as if the Bulls were done making deals this offseason. They gave him a 2 year/$47 million dollar deal which leaves them with little money left to make any moves. Looking back the Bulls lost key players Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Mike Dunleavy. While adding Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Robin Lopez and drafting Denzel Valentine, which created the question did the Bulls have a successful offseason.

“The Bulls did a fairly good job this offseason by getting rid of Rose,” said Lapiana. “We paid him too much for someone who doesn’t play a lot due to injury. We shouldn’t have that issue with Wade.”

Solem believes their best move in the off season was to acquire two all-stars.

“The Bulls had a very eventful offseason however, was it very successful?” said Solem, “Yes, because while we lost three of our best players, we gained two all-stars, adding a solid ability to win.”

Other fans in the Elmhurst area are pleased with the trade as well. A small, informal Twitter poll resulted with 80% of fans responding “yes” and 20% “no”. If these numbers even closely represent a greater trend, it seems more fans are happy with the Wade signing than not.

Overall fans agree that Wade coming home will bring not only more talent to the Bulls but also more heart, energy, leadership, and it will definitely make this Bulls team more fun to watch.

“Wade was a signing the Bulls needed to have in order to contend in the East,” said Hansmann. “With Wade’s experience, they can shock a higher seed and make a good run at the conference and go somewhat far this season.”