Dean Wade was hoping to sign again with Cavaliers this summer, but he said the “craziness” of the offseason prevented that from happening, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in the article only for subscribers. Wade spent seven years in Cleveland after joining the team on a two-way contract in 2019. He became a versatile member of the rotation who excelled defensively and could hit the 3-pointer, and he was effective both as a starter and off the bench.
Wade wanted to continue in that role, but the Cavs spent most of the summer chasing stars after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. They were rumored to be involved in the trade Janice Antecumba or Jaylen Brownand they hoped to return LeBron Jameswho did not announce he was signing with Philadelphia until late July. That uncertainty meant they couldn’t commit the necessary money to keep Wade.
“I was very comfortable here. I thought I would go back to Cleveland.” Wade said. “I had a home and a relationship with everyone, so it would have been easy. But it just didn’t happen. It’s a shame.”
Wade called it “weird” to enter Rocket Arena as a visitor for the first time in his career on Friday, and he and his former teammates engaged in a verbal sparring session during the game. He added that things are going well with Sixersas he is surrounded by the stars of one of the best teams in the league.
“With my options that I had, I made a great decision and I’m building relationships here.” Wade said. “Philly is great. This team is great. People with high character. It’s amazing to go to a new place and meet a thousand new people. But after a couple of weeks, it gets a lot easier. I’m very happy with my decision.”
There are more from the Central Division:
- Jalen Duren since October 23, he was away from a hamstring strainand Pistons his inner presence is clearly lacking, he notes By Amari Sankoff II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Most of their scoring comes from beyond the arc, and they rank 28th in the league in offensive rebounding percentage after finishing second last season. Duren is approaching a two-week injury re-evaluation.
- TJ McConnell finished with six points, two rebounds and an assist in nine minutes Saturday in his first game of the season, for Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers The guard, who was dealing with a strained right hamstring, appeared to be limited in minutes and was not used in the second half, Dopirak added.
- Together with another thoughts he expressed this week on The Bill Simmons Podcastthe former Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Damian Lillard “Really never got the welcome it should have” after being acquired from Portland in the 2023 trade, relay Jim Owcharski of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (subscription required). Rivers recalls that Lillard was dealing with several extrajudicial matters at the time, including divorce proceedings. “He had a lot going on in Portland. You couldn’t have traded him at a worse time.” Rivers said. “The biggest thing about this trade is that you just can’t trade Jrue (holiday). I always thought that once I got there, I was like, man, if Jrue was there with Dame and Giannis, this team would be a lot better.” Rivers also declined to comment on Milwaukee’s decision to waive Lillard last summer and extend his contract through the 2029-30 season.