The Cavs spent the summer hunting stars after their Eastern Conference finals run, eyeing Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jaylen Brown and hoping to lure LeBron James back, who only announced his Philadelphia deal in late July. That uncertainty left no cap space to retain Wade, who wanted to stay.
“I was super comfortable here. I thought I’d probably just come back to Cleveland,” Wade said. “Had a house and relationships with everyone, so it would have been easy. But it just didn’t happen. It’s unfortunate.”
Wade called it “weird” to step onto Rocket Arena as a visitor for the first time, and he traded barbs with his former teammates during the game. He added that things are clicking with the Sixers, surrounded by stars on one of the league’s best squads.
“For my options that I had, I made a great decision and I’m building relationships here,” Wade said. “Philly is awesome. This team is great. High‑character people. Weird going to a new place and meeting a thousand new faces, but after a couple weeks it gets easier. Pretty happy with my decision.” For my money, his fit boosts Philly’s championship odds.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Jalen Duren has missed action since Oct. 23 with a hamstring strain, and the Pistons feel his interior presence keenly, notes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Scoring now leans heavily on the perimeter, and they sit 28th in offensive rebounding after finishing second last season. Duren approaches his two‑week injury review.
- T.J. McConnell logged six points, two rebounds and an assist in nine minutes on Saturday, his season debut, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers guard, nursing a strained right hamstring, saw limited minutes and did not play in the second half, Dopirak adds.
- Alongside his recent Bill Simmons Podcast remarks, former Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Damian Lillard “was really never welcomed in the way he should’ve been” after the 2023 trade from Portland, reports Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal‑Sentinel (subscription required). Rivers recalled Lillard faced off‑court turmoil, including divorce. “He had a lot going on in Portland. You couldn’t have traded for him at a worse time,” Rivers said. “The biggest thing with that trade is you just can’t trade Jrue (Holiday). I always thought if Jrue had been there with Dame and Giannis, that team would’ve been so much better.” He declined comment on Milwaukee’s decision to waive Lillard last summer and stretch his contract through 2029/30. Could the Bucks ever regain their former glory without him?