Without question, Dwyane Wade is the undisputed greatest player in Miami Heat history. That notion is pretty well documented amongst fans and was even confirmed by Pat Riley. Wade’s superstardom and efforts both on and off the court for the Miami community has been inspiring.
Wade brought three championships to the Heat, including the first in franchise history in 2006. While still on his rookie contract, Wade led the Heat from down 0-2 in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks to four straight wins. Wade averaged 39.3 points in those four games.
Despite his Hall of Fame resume, Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade wishes he could take back his stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He is also a 13-time NBA All-Star, Finals MVP, 2010 All-Star game MVP, Gold Medalist, 2009 scoring champion, three-time All-Defensive and eight-time All-NBA team member.
His Hall of Fame induction and Miami jersey retirement were the icing on the cake for Wade’s generational career. But he recently spoke on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, “7 PM in Brooklyn," and addressed one major regret of his time in the league: joining the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hopefully we can leave that one in the past 😂 https://t.co/gybLbJBhcD
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) September 5, 2024
After failing to reach a new contract agreement with the Heat's front office in the summer of 2016, Wade joined his hometown Chicago Bulls with something still left in the tank. However, the Bulls soon traded Jimmy Butler and launched a rebuild, which made Wade available. Once he reached a contract buyout with the Bulls, he joined the Cavs on a veteran minimum contract.
Wade's addition to the 2018 Cavs roster made a lot of sense at the time. Cleveland was in a championship window, but coming off the loss of Kyrie Irving. The need for a little extra star power in the lineup was obvious for them, and they couldn't go wrong with a player of Wade's caliber, who averaged 19 points the previous season. Although the on-paper fit looked promising, the on-the-court fit didn't pan out with that group as signs of aging started to creep up on Wade.
His brief Cavs tenure was highlighted as a reunion with LeBron James on a contending team, but wound up being short-lived for just half a season. At the trade deadline. Both Wade and the Heat had mutual interest in facilitating a South Beach return to properly end his career, where he would play for the second half of the 2018 season and the full 2018-19 season as his “last dance.”