The biggest trade news came late in the summer when the Cleveland Cavaliers searched for a new home for All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who shockingly requested a trade. The Cavs managed to acquire Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder whom many feel made the team even better.
In addition to the trade, the team acquired Dwyane Wade in a last-minute buyout from the Chicago Bulls who have had more than a little enthusiasm for joining his former teammate and friend LeBron James to play for another championship together.
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Retired NBA guard and former 2014-15 Cavs’ director of player administration Raja Bell made an appearance on the CBS Sports’ Flagrant Two podcast and wasn’t so optimistic about everything falling in line for the team due to the presence of Wade.
Bell gave his thoughts to hosts Bill Reiter and Reid Forgrave about the effect Dwyane Wade could have on the team if he isn’t accepting of a minimal role.
“In 2017, in my estimation, [Wade] is a 15-17 minute a night guy who can come in and get you some buckets when you need them. That’s the way I view him. They do great things with the medical staff there in Cleveland. I know LeBron takes care of his body as good as anyone in the league, so if there’s any place that kind of could rejuvenate him, maybe it is Cleveland.”
“But I just can’t see him filling a role like that, and if he is hell-bent on reviving a career in the twilight — very few people are able to do that — if he’s hell-bent on doing that, it could be a major distraction to what they’re trying to do.”
The 15-year veteran has never played a full season in his career and ended his last campaign with only 60 games under his belt averaging 18.3 points and 3.8 assists shooting 48 percent from the field.
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Not only are the Cavs a retooled team but they are much deeper and wouldn’t require heavy usage from Wade to have a successful season and can strategically save his best for the playoffs where he will really make an impact on the team.
You can listen to Bell’s interview including his comments about Wade around the 30:00 mark.
https://soundcloud.com/cbssportspodcasts/raja-bell-talks-cavs-small-ball-whos-next-in-the-east-and-more-basketball-1003#t=0:00