LeBron James was all for a potential reunion with former Miami Heat teammate and banana boat brother Dwyane Wade on the Cleveland Cavaliers when the 34-year-old guard hit unrestricted free agency over the summer.
It was just wasn’t in the cards, though – or Cleveland’s budget.
“We couldn’t afford him,” James said Wednesday, reiterating that he had hoped to play with Wade once again, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It’s that simple.”
Wade headed home – just like The King did two years ago – to Chicago to sign with the Bulls on a two-year, $47.5-million contract, which is far more than he could have earned with the Cavaliers for the tax-payer mid-level exception of $3.5 million.
“Who wouldn’t be interested in a Hall of Famer?” said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. “That don’t even make sense. Yeah, we wanted him.”
While James was somewhat disappointed terms couldn’t be reached, he’s still happy Wade ended up where he wanted to be.
“I support my guys, you know that,” he added. “That was a decision he wanted to make and I accept that.”
James captured the first championship of his career in Miami back in 2012, when he and Wade helped the Heat knock off the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. They followed that up with another ring the following year and a Finals appearance in 2014 before the four-time MVP departed for Cleveland.
“In professional sports, things can change from one year to another like that, so I’ve always had that perspective ever since I came into the NBA,” James said. “I’ve always known it’s a business and you could be with one team this year; have teammates this year, the next year you might not have them. That’s part of the business. So, I’ll always have that perspective.”
