LeBron James And Dwyane Wade Reunite And Twitter Erupts
During the Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day on Monday, superstar forward LeBron James said he’d love to play with former teammate and friend Dwyane Wade and just two days later, James’ wish came true.
Wade, a 12-time NBA All-Star guard, agreed to sign with the Cavaliers upon clearing waivers Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. The veteran guard agreed to a contract buyout on Sunday with the Chicago Bulls, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
He will sign a one-year, $2.3 million veterans minimum deal with the Cavaliers and once again coexist with James.
Wade ignited the NBA and the Twitter universe as he paired up with James once more. Fans were mostly beside themselves as they posted memes and videos of what a repeat of James and Wade would look like.
LeBron and Wade pulling up like... ___ pic.twitter.com/IEIE5DykUf
— Fake SportsCenter (@FakeSportsCentr) September 27, 2017
James and Wade played four seasons together on the Miami Heat and won two back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. After the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Heat and foiled their quest for a third consecutive title, James opted out of his contract and returned to the Cavaliers in 2014.
James forged a new winning team in Cleveland with All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who secured an NBA title in 2016, while Wade sat on a struggling Heat team. After multiple injuries and losses, Wade opted out of his contract and joined the Bulls on July 6, 2016, where he suffered more injuries and losses. After the losses piled up, he publicly conveyed frustration with his younger teammates who reciprocated their disdain.
Finally, Wade decided to move on and join the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers fans were naturally anxious to see what Wade and James would do but teammates and coaches also wondered if Wade would mesh.
Wade should fit right in, Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson said, according to ESPN. Thompson was part of the Cavs team that won the NBA title in 2016.
"He's pretty familiar with most of the guys on our team, whether playing against or playing with," Thompson told ESPN. "I think he's going to jell pretty well. He's a veteran. He's always been a good locker room guy. We've never heard anything bad.
"It would be great for our team to have another championship-mentality player on our team. It's just more pieces to the puzzle."
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said it could be rough initially with all the new players added to the Cavaliers' roster during the offseason, but they are up for the task.
"Anytime you get new pieces and new players, it's always challenging, but I'm up for the challenge, and so are the players," Lue told ESPN. "We will figure it out. It will be a good year for us."
Wade, a three-time NBA champion and 2006 NBA Finals MVP, will join a Cavaliers roster with James, Love, J.R. Smith and Thompson, who were part of the 2016 champion team. The team will miss until at least January their injured All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who they acquired in exchange for Irving in August.
Wade averaged 18 points for the Bulls last season. During his 14-season career, he averaged 23.3 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.
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