Zhejiang not giving up on signing NBA star Dwyane Wade

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The Zhejiang Golden Bulls will leave the door open for NBA veteran Dwyane Wade despite the club announcing that it was signing Marcus Denmon from Greek giants Panathinaikos.

With little fanfare, Zhejiang announced the deal with the 27-year-old on Wednesday afternoon through its official Weibo account.

Relatively unknown to Chinese fans, Denmon was taken at No. 59 in the 2012 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, but has only ever played professionally in Europe. Zhejiang will be his seventh professional stop.

Marcus Denmon in action during the Euroleague Playoffs Game 2 between Panathinaikos and Real Madrid on April 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

Denmon’s arrival will now likely signal an end in the chase for Dwyane Wade, who has been offered a rumored three-year, 25-million-US-dollar contract by Zhejiang.

The CBA club, however, indicated that no decision had been made on Wade yet and the club’s hierarchy is still waiting for a response from the three-time NBA champion.

“Despite a month-long negotiation and coordination, Wade and his agent have not made it clear to us that he will accept our offer and play basketball in China,” read a Zhejiang statement.

Dwyane Wade poses for a selfie with fans in Jinan, China, on July 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

The statement went on to say: “But our offer still stands and we remain willing to sign Wade…Because we are convinced that the signing of Wade will be beneficial for the development of both the CBA and our club.

“Since our offer did not elicit any response from Wade so far, we decided to sign Marcus Denmon in an effort to prepare for the upcoming season.

“In the meantime, we will keep waiting for Wade’s response. The club will leave the door open for Wade forever.”