Dwyane Wade will enter the upcoming NBA season playing for his third team in three years as he recently signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After spending 13 years in Miami playing for the Heat, the shooting guard decided to join his hometown team last year. However, Wade's season with the Chicago Bulls did not go well and, despite accepting the player option on his contract, he left the team and joined the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
Before he was able to sign with the Cavaliers, the shooting guard had to reach a buyout agreement with the Bulls.
He got approximately $16 million from the buyout and became a free agent. The Cavaliers then offered Wade a veteran minimum contract which he accepted, becoming one of the biggest additions to the roster.
Dwyane Wade's starting job
Apparently, one of the reasons why the shooting guard joined Cleveland is a starting spot that was promised to him. Dwyane Wade, who spent the majority of his career as a starting shooting guard, was offered a bench role by his former team, the Miami Heat. The Heat were open about their intentions and did not want Wade to be a starter on the roster they built after he left. Many fans predicted that he would be a backup shooting guard for the Cavaliers as well, but that won't be the case.
On Monday, head coach Tyronn Lue announced that Wade would be a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. This was a two-man race between J.R. Smith and Wade, but the 35-year-old shooting guard got the spot at the end. While both Wade and Smith were fine with coming off the bench, it would be very unlikely to see Wade as a backup.
Dwyane Wade is a three-time NBA champion and he knows what it takes to win it all, which is something the Cavaliers need. On the other side, putting J.R. Smith in the starting lineup would give Cleveland much more space. It will take a while for Wade to get used to the Cavaliers and his inability to make three-point shots could cost them in the long run.
However, there is no doubt the team will benefit from his presence on the court.
J.R. Smith's reaction
According to Joe Vardon of cleveland.com, J.R. Smith was absolutely frustrated by Tyronn Lue's decision to start Wade. Despite that, he said he will go through it and adjust to his role.
Smith won't be the only starter to be pushed to the bench this upcoming season. Lue decided to also insert Jae Crowder in the starting lineup, which means that Kevin Love will be a center instead of Tristan Thompson.
