Wade and LeBron looking to take three
Veteran guard who was part of Heat’s title reign will sign one-year deal in Cleveland
CLEVELAND— Together again: LeBron and D-Wade. Just like old times.
Dwyane Wade has decided to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers and reunite with LeBron James, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Tuesday night.
Wade, a 12-time all-star, is expected to clear waivers on Wednesday and then join the Cavs, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be completed until Wade goes through the waiver process.
In Cleveland, Wade will be reunited with James, his close friend, former Miami teammate and a player he confided in before signing with his hometown Chicago Bulls last year. Wade and James won two NBA titles together during four seasons with the Heat and will now chase another one with the Cavs, who have been revamped after losing to Golden State in last season’s NBA final.
On Monday, James said he would “love” to play again with Wade.
“He brings another championship pedigree, championship DNA,” James said at Cleveland’s media day. “He brings another player to the team who can get guys involved, can make plays and also has a great bas- ketball mind.”
Once Wade completes the waiver formality, he’ll be the latest new, high-profile player to join the Cavs, who traded for all-star point guard Isaiah Thomas, signed former league MVP Derrick Rose and strong wing defenders Jae Crowder and Jeff Green, who may help them match up better defensively against the Warriors if those teams get back to a fourth consecutive NBA final.
Thomas isn’t expected to play until January because of a hip injury, but the Cavs have plenty of firepower in James, Wade, Rose and all-star Kevin Love, who could thrive as Cleveland’s No. 2 scoring threat now that Kyrie Irving is in Boston.
Wade agreed to a contract buyout earlier this week with the Bulls, who are in a rebuilding mode.
The Cavaliers emerged Tuesday as front-runners over the Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder to land the 35-year-old Wade, who many feel say has plenty of game left.
In an interview with AP, Wade said that whatever decision he makes would be “a pure basketball decision and I’ll make the one that I feel fits me best at this point in my career and with what I feel I have to offer a team that needs what I have to offer.”
Following practice on Tuesday, Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson said Wade would be a “great” fit.
“He’s a guy that’s proven, not just individually, but a team that won three championships,” said Thompson, a Brampton native. “He’s pretty familiar with most of the guys on our team . . . He’s always been a good locker room guy. We’ve never heard anything bad.”