Dwyane Wade will sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers after clearing waivers on Wednesday. What will he bring to the team?
Reunited and it feels so good for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
No, I’m not talking about AAU basketball teammates Isaiah Thomas and Kevin Love coming back together, but two former MVPs, two-time champions, and best friends in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Wade has agreed to sign with the Cavaliers for the verteran’s minimum of one year and $2.3 million
He was originally supposed to earn $23.8 million from the Chicago Bulls, but after being bought out, the chance to win now means more at this point in his career.
Sources: Dwyane Wade has reached agreement on a one-year, $2.3M deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 26, 2017
On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Bulls reached a buyout agreement to pay $8 million of Wade’s remaining deal.
He considered going to the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and maybe a return back to the Miami Heat, but he ultimately decided to reunite with James in Cleveland.
I had a feeling that he would end up with the Cavaliers, just not this soon.
The Cavs aren’t getting the Wade of old, but they’re getting another leader in the locker room, a player with championship experience, and an ability to adjust and get everybody else involved within the offense — unlike Kyrie Irving.
Most importantly, he knows how to play with James.
Wade averaged his second-lowest career point total at 18.3 points per game last year, and had his lowest assist total of his career at 3.8 per game. Wade also had his second-highest average in 3-point shooting at 30 percent.
He suffered an elbow injury late into the season last year, but he made his return in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. It was a bittersweet ending to the series and to Wade’s Bulls career as he only scored two points in Game 6.
It’s amazing how a team can go from a contender to a rebuild so fast. Last season, the Bulls had Jimmy Butler, Wade and Rajon Rondo. Now they’re in a complete rebuild.
Wade will be the starter at shooting guard for the team. That means they’ll have J.R. Smith coming off the bench along with Kyle Korver, and potentially Iman Shumpert. The Cavaliers could also use him at point guard at times. He’s played it sparingly throughout his career, but is better suited at the 2.
While he’ll bring an understanding of the team concept, and a veteran presence, I think he would keep the second unit focused and still into the game if coach Tyronn Lue uses him as that anchor.
The Cavaliers blew way too many leads last season when James was on the bench. They had no sense of direction, and it turned into one-on-one ball instead of team basketball. Wade won’t let that happen.
He’s seen it all like James, and he will know when to turn it on when things go awry.
Wade only played 30 minutes per game last season, which is the lowest number in his career. I look for that to go down even more on the Cavs. The bench is loaded with guards unlike the Bulls, so he will have more of a chance to rest during the games.
King James Gospel
If it’s a close game, I can see him playing extended minutes, but I think Lue will play him around 25-27 minutes a night. His knees will thank him for it down the stretch.
Fans are worried about the Cavs becoming more of a slashing team instead of a three-point shooing one with the addition of Wade. I’m completely fine with it. Instead of them just being a one-dimensional team, they have balance.
Derrick Rose, Wade and James are three of the elite slashers in the NBA. What will teams do when either one of them can slash to the basket, pass it out to the perimeter for a three, or pass it to another player cutting and trying to slash?
It makes them even more dangerous than before. It solves their biggest problem from last season. As the saying will always go in the NBA, “If you live by the three, you die by the three.”
The only issue I see is defensively. Wade isn’t “The Flash” anymore, on either end of the floor. Will he be able to play consistent defense throughout the year? The Cavs have Smith, who has became better yearly at that end, but is it enough? If Shumpert is still on the team, he’s not the perimeter defender people thought he was.
Rose hasn’t been great defensively, and Jose Calderon…well…you get the picture. If the Cavaliers play team defense, it should help big time. That means helping under the defensive sets and picking up on the backdoor cuts.
They’ve fixed part of it by getting Jae Crowder and Jeff Green, but they have to bring it every night.
I think another positive will be the ball-handing. Wade doesn’t need the ball in his hand as in years past. He was most effective with James when he played off the ball, and created plays. He’ll be able to do that once again when Thomas returns, and with Rose.
They both like to push the ball, and it will give Wade a chance to do what he does best.
This is a great signing for the Cavs. I don’t think it puts them over the top of the Golden State Warriors, but it gets them closer. The key is Wade and Rose staying healthy, and turning back the clock a bit this season.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
If they can do that consistently throughout the year, and maybe with another piece, this puts them right there. It will be quite an interesting season for the Cavaliers, and the NBA.