LeBron sends Dwyane Wade interesting message after trade
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade reunited in Cleveland this season, with the hope the two veterans could rekindle some of the magic they shared as teammates on a Miami Heat team that won two NBA titles.
But there’s been no magic in Cleveland this season. Since ending a stretch where the Cavs won 18 of 19, Cleveland has gone 8-14 — with 10 of those losses by double digits.
It was almost certain the Cavs would retool their roster before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, and the biggest name among the many Cleveland moved Thursday was Wade, who was shipped back to Miami for a protected second-round draft pick.
After news of the trade broke, James went on Instagram to say how happy he was that Wade had the opportunity to return to the Heat.
While the move shocked some fans, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said Wade and James were consulted about the possibility of a trade with the Heat.
A Cavs source tells ESPN that Cleveland wanted to "do right" by Dwyane Wade once the acquisition of Jordan Clarkson, combined with the youth movement of Cedi Osman, made it clear Wade's role would be reduced. Wade, his representative Leon Rose and LeBron James were all consulted
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 8, 2018
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported via Twitter that Wade knew his playing time was going to be reduced in Cleveland and that he had asked the team to look into the possibility of trading him back to Miami.
Wade and James broke into the NBA together in 2003 — James coming into the league with the Cavaliers straight out of high school, and Wade being drafted by Miami after a Final Four appearance with Marquette.
They spent four seasons together in Miami with the Heat, making the NBA Finals in each of those four seasons and winning two NBA championships.
Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote described Wade as “the greatest and most beloved player in franchise annals — maybe in all of South Florida sports history, above even Dan Marino.”
Miami isn’t a lock to make the playoffs, as it has lost five games in a row to drop into the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. But the addition of Wade will bring fans back to the team’s home games and has some of the veteran players excited for his return.
Heat guard Goran Dragic posted a tweet welcoming Wade and guard Luke Babbitt — acquired in a separate deal with Atlanta — to the team.
Looking forward to welcoming two of my brothers back to Miami! @DwyaneWade #LukeBabbitt @MiamiHEAT
— Goran Dragić (@Goran_Dragic) February 8, 2018
This marks a second homecoming of sorts for Wade. After 13 seasons with the Heat, Wade — a native of Chicago — signed with the Bulls for the 2015-16 season. But after one season with a team that was about to start a major rebuilding phase, Chicago bought out the final year of his contract and Wade went to Cleveland with the hopes of winning one last title with the Cavs.
In 46 games with Cleveland — and only three starts — Wade has averaged 11.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. In 15 seasons, Wade has a career scoring average of 22.7 points per game.
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