Four years with LeBron James apparently wasn’t enough for Dwyane Wade, so he’s open to coming back for more.
When LeBron James first left the Miami Heat in 2014, that was supposed to be it. He and Wade spent four seasons together. Made it to four NBA Finals. Won two championships. They played together, in the thick of their prime, then went their separate ways. Wade would never leave Miami; LeBron would never return. That was that.
Only, Wade did leave Miami. For a short while, before he signed with the Chicago Bulls, there were those who thought he might end up on the Cleveland Cavaliers, at a steep discount, reuniting with his buddy LeBron. That was always an unrealistic scenario, as the Cavaliers had literally no money to throw at Wade. But it opened the door for the conversation on a potential reunion, one we know LeBron pines for, and one Wade won’t rule out, per ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell:
Wade, in his 14th season, didn’t rule out the possibility of playing with James again at some point in his career, but he made it very clear how happy he was to be in Chicago.
“I never thought I would play with LeBron,” Wade said. “I didn’t think it was a possibility at all. I enjoyed the All-Star Games, I enjoyed the Olympics, but I never thought that we’d play together. That’s why now I look with younger guys and what they say and stuff like that because you never know what the future’s going to hold for you. Just keep your comments to yourself on the future. So I would keep my comments on myself for whatever. For me, I’m here and I’m happy to be here but I was happy in Miami as well. It just happened. And you never know what happens in this game. So people should never say never on anything.”
Then Wade leaned closer into the microphones and recorders present at the Bulls’ practice facility.
“That’s not saying that I want to play with LeBron [again]. Let me clearly say that. That is not saying that I want to be somewhere that I’m not. That’s not saying that at all, but also I understand how this league works, how this thing goes, and people need to know just don’t say never, that’s all.”
Wade was smart to clarify what he was saying, because these sound bites go viral. He also shouldn’t get fans of this idea too hopeful. If and when James and Wade do team up again, it’ll be at least a couple years down the road, when he and James are on the verge of retiring.
At minimum, it won’t be next season. LeBron won’t be a free agent again until 2019, and there’s no way Wade turns down his $23.8 million player option with the Bulls to play for peanuts on the Cavaliers.
Right?
