Wade wants to chase another title with James

Kyrie Irving was so desperate to not play another season with LeBron James that he reportedly informed the Cavaliers he planned on not reporting to training camp if he weren’t traded before it started.

Dwyane Wade, 35, was so eager to be reunited with James that he took a net loss of $5.7 million in a buyout with the Bulls so he could become a free agent and sign with the Cavaliers.

Irving’s wish was granted when he was traded to the Celtics, and now Wade is back with his running mate. He and James won two championships together (2012 and 2013) during four seasons with the Heat.

Now, after three years apart, they are teammates again. Their supporting cast is different, but the goal is the same.

“It’s like peanut butter and jelly, man — we just go together,” Wade said Sept. 29 after practice in Independence.

Wade, a 12-time AllStar with the Heat, played 13 seasons with Miami before signing with the Bulls last season (he was Finals MVP when the Heat won in 2006). He might still be in his hometown of Chicago if the Bulls weren’t rebuilding, but they are. The Cavaliers spent the offseason loading up for what they hope is a fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals, and Wade wants to be part of the experience.

“Once I got an opportunity to get the buyout, LeBron was recruiting me the whole time.” Wade said. “I looked around and I was flattered by the teams that reached out, but at the end of the day this is where I wanted to be. This is where I felt I should be from a basketball perspective to come in and be a part of

this.

“This team right here from top to bottom is one of the most talented teams I’ve been on. I’ve been lucky enough in this league to be in a lot of big games, a lot big moments. Been in five Finals and my whole life I’ve been in some big moments, so that’s what makes me alive. I haven’t had that in a couple of years, so getting an opportunity to be back on this team and understanding — knock on wood everybody stays healthy — what we can accomplish, you know, those moments are going to come. I look forward to it.”

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue says he hasn’t zeroed in on a role for Wade, but so far the newest Cavalier is working as a back-up point guard. Derrick Rose, another veteran new to the Cavaliers this year, is working as the starting point guard. Wade has been a shooting guard in all but his rookie year.

“Just his poise, getting guys shots,” Lue said when asked what he likes about Wade’s basketball I.Q. “He never gets sped up no matter how crazy the game may be, pressing or whatever they’re doing, he’s always under control and seems to make the right play every time.

“He’s a future Hall of Famer, a perennial AllStar. He just knows how to play the game. He’s a great addition to have. We have a lot of versatile guys. A lot of guys can play a lot of combinations, a lot of different roles. I’m not going to say who’s going to start as of right now, but we have a plan in place. We’ll see how it looks and go from there.”

Wade played in 60 games with the Bulls last year and averaged a careerlow 18.3 points a game. His 29.9 minutes a game was also a career low.

Wade has averaged 23.3 points and 35.4 minutes over his stellar career.

TONY DEJAK — ASSOCIATED PRESS Dwyane Wade smiles during his introductory news conference at the Cavaliers’ practice facility on Sept. 29 in Independence.