Dwyane Wade’s first game in Miami will be early in NBA season

Heat fans likely will not need to wait long to see Dwyane Wade in person next season.

Wade's first game back in Miami as a member of the Chicago Bulls has been scheduled for Nov. 10, a Thursday, and will be carried by TNT, according to a tentative, confidential schedule that has been circulated to NBA teams and TV partners. The NBA reserves the right to change dates before the schedule is announced, likely next week.

There had been some thought that the first Bulls at Heat game could be scheduled for Christmas, but the NBA instead opted for an early-season date, the third Thursday of the season. The NBA is expected to release the regular-season schedule as early as next week.

The TV sports competition for Bulls-Heat that night would be a Cleveland-Baltimore NFL game, plus North Carolina-Duke and Utah-Arizona State college football games. Wade spent his first 13 seasons with the Heat before agreeing to a two-year, $47 million deal with the Bulls, with a player option for the second season.

Barry Jackson: 305-376-3491, @flasportsbuzz

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Dwyane Wade’s first game in Miami will be early in NBA season."