Dwyane Wade Knew LeBron Was Going to the Lakers When He Signed to the Cavs

Dwyane Wade knew his pairing with LeBron during the 2017-18 season would be short-lived reunion because he was aware James would not be in Cleveland for much longer. 

Wade revealed to The Athletic that when LeBron asked him to team-up in Cleveland last season, the now-Laker confided in his best friend that he would be leaving the Cavs at the end of the year. 

“LeBron, first of all, is a guy who always plays his cards close to his vest, but I knew his ultimate goal was to be in Los Angeles.” Wade told the publication. “He recruited me and talked to me about signing [to Cleveland] and I said, ‘Listen, I know you might not be there long. You’re gonna be a free agent and there are some things that might happen, and we’ll have a conversation.'” 

Despite his reservations, Wade did have a quick stint with the Cavs that was a far cry from his championship run as LeBron’s Miami Heat teammate. Wade was limited to just 11.2 PPG and got caught up with locker room turmoil. According to reports, J.R. Smith was “frustrated” by the addition of Wade, leading to limited minutes for Smith. Wade was eventually shipped back to Miami before the midway through last season.

And although he knew LeBron would be leaving, Wade’s quick tenure with the Cavs even surprised him. He thought he’d make it through one year that possibly ended in a ring.

“That’s why I signed there in the first place,” Wade said. “If I had known that was gonna happen, I wouldn’t have signed there. It’s gonna be an item on my resume that’s hard to understand, but it happened. I know I filled my role while I was there, as a veteran and a leader. At least I can say I made some really cool relationships with the people who were there.”