CLEVELAND – With the recent announcement of Dwyane Wade choosing to opt out of his current deal with the Miami Heat, could it signal a possible reunion with LeBron James in Cleveland?
Wade, the longtime face of the Heat franchise and a eight-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion is leaning towards leaving the only team he has ever played for, since being drafted fifth overall out of Marquette in the 2003 NBA Draft, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Wade opted out of the final two years of a contract worth $41.6 million to give Miami a “hometown discount” at two years and $31 million, has been rumored to heading towards the Los Angeles Lakers or pull a LeBron and go back home to team up with NBA MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.
One other team that has also been mentioned as a possible landing spot is James’ Cavaliers.
It is no secret that both Wade and James are extremely close, both on and off the court, and with the uncertainty and conflicting reports of Kevin Love likely leaving Cleveland after only one year, an interesting proposal could be made in doing a sign-and-trade for both players.
In this scenario, Love would re-sign with the Cavaliers, who in turn would trade him to the Heat for Wade. If such a scenario were to happen, both teams would win as Cleveland get’s a accomplished back court running mate with Kyrie Irving, with Wade reuniting with James, while Miami get’s a true stretch four in Love, to pair alongside Chris Bosh and Luol Deng.
Here is how a projected Cavs lineup would look with Wade:
- PG: Kyrie Irving
- SG: Dwyane Wade
- PF: LaMarcus Aldridge(signed via free agency, Thompson signs a max deal to stay with Cavaliers)
- SF: LeBron James
- C: Timofey Mozgov
And here is what a new-look Heat lineup would look with Love:
- PG: Goran Dragic* (if he re-signs)
- SG: Jimmy Butler (signed via free agency)
- PF: Kevin Love (signed via sign-and-trade)
- SF: Luol Deng
- C: Chris Bosh
What do you think? Are Love and Wade set to trade places?