LeBron James admits he wanted Dwyane Wade with Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, but team "couldn"t afford him"
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A few months ago, prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA title run, LeBron James opened up to Bleacher Report about his desire to one day form a new Superteam with his best friends — Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.
It seems like a long shot. Even James has admitted that. But this summer, the idea of teaming up with Wade became a topic of conversation after his messy breakup with the Miami Heat.
There was one problem.
“We couldn’t afford him,” James admitted following Wednesday’s practice. “It’s that simple.”
After exploring a few different options, Wade inked a two-year, $47 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. At the time, the cap-strapped Cavaliers, already deep into the luxury tax, could only offer the taxpayer midlevel exception, worth around $3.5 million.
Given Wade’s Miami frustrations seemed to center on money, the future Hall-of-Famer wasn’t looking to take significant pay cut, even if it meant playing with his “brother” LeBron.
Instead, Wade followed a different path, one similar to James’ by going back to his hometown.
“I support my guys, you guys know that,” James said. “That was a decision that he wanted to make and I support him.”
Two years ago, when James announced his return to the Cavaliers in a heartfelt letter, he cited a handful of reasons. Some were basketball related, wanting an opportunity to bring a title to Cleveland while also helping Kyrie Irving’s development. But his choice to return also had plenty to do with off-the-court ventures. Wade mentioned similar reasoning shortly after joining the Bulls.
“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of conversations,” James said. “I don’t really like to talk about what we talk about but he’s done some things in the community already since he’s been back to Chicago and obviously he has a lot of ties there, being from there. So I think it’s been good for not only him but for the city, more importantly.”
Wade’s decision to join the Bulls has also worked out well for Cleveland. With the Chicago needing to free up salary cap space, the Cavs were able to acquire Mike Dunleavy, an addition that gives the team much-needed depth on the perimeter, especially with J.R. Smith being an unrestricted free agent for the second consecutive summer.
The Cavs and Bulls are set to play in the preseason Friday night, a matchup that could possibly be a playoff preview after the Bulls’ off-season changes. James and Wade will be on opposite sides once again. And the idea of becoming teammates will have to be tabled for now.
But given James’ past comments, he probably won’t stop imagining the reunion. Heck, even Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue pondered the possibility for a brief moment this summer.
“Who wouldn’t be interested in a Hall-of-Famer,” he asked. “That don’t even make sense. Yeah, we wanted him.”
LeBron James admits he wanted Dwyane Wade with Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, but team "couldn"t afford him"
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