Dwyane Wade of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks with LeBron James while playing the Chicago Bulls during a pre-season game at Quicken Loans Arena on Oct. 10, 2017, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP)
After volunteering to be a part of the second unit for the first time in his career, Dwyane Wade has finally settled in with his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although he now seems well acclimated with the Cavs’ system, Wade’s arrival in Ohio wasn’t well received by some of his teammates initially.
This was recently revealed by LeBron James, who told The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd that some players disapproved of the Cavs’ decision to bring the wily veteran aboard on a one-year deal at the start of the season.
“There was a couple guys with it,” James, who refused to name the players, said. “But it wasn’t a lot.”
Their displeasure reportedly stems from the fact that the team had to let go of well-liked veteran Richard Jefferson and required coach Tyronn Lue to reshuffle the starting lineup—relegating J.R. Smith to the bech at the beginning of the season.
James and Wade’s tight bond, meanwhile, has been well documented both on and off the court, as the pair won back-to-back championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013
Now 35 years old, Wade doesn’t have the same freakish athleticism that he once had, but James understands the importance of 12-time All-Star’s championship pedigree.
“I still know what he’s capable of doing. Why wouldn’t you want another guy in the locker room that brings a championship mentality and a guy who can still play?” he said. “So, of course, it bothered me, but f**k it. It is what it is.” Khristian Ibarrola /ra
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