Bitterness from Dwyane Wade’s Cavs Stint Lingers 10 Years After Ex-Teammate’s Tearful Knicks Exit

September 24, 2017. That date might mean nothing to you, but for Dwyane Wade, it carries weight. It marked the day he reunited with his old championship teammate, LeBron James, in Cleveland. When LeBron left Miami to rejoin the Cavaliers, Wade figured their run together was over. But fate had other plans. Wade signed with Cleveland and teamed up with his close friend once again. The thing is, Wade’s Cavaliers chapter didn’t go as planned. Most fans had no idea about the struggles he faced there. Now, J.R. Smith, Wade’s former Cavs teammate, just spilled some behind-the-scenes details fans never saw coming.

When Dwyane Wade signed with the Cavaliers, he promised his ego wouldn’t get in the way. And he meant it. After struggling through just three games, Wade made a bold move. He approached Cavs coach Tyronn Lue and asked to leave the starting lineup. The reason was that he believed it would help the team find a better rhythm. “I just decided, earlier than later, just to get to the unit where I’d be more comfortable in and can probably be better with this team in that lineup,” Wade explained. 

The conversation happened right after Cleveland got crushed 114-93 by Orlando, a team that hadn’t beaten them in the last 17 games. Wade knew it was time to shake things up. So, he pitched the idea to Lue. He’d head to the bench and join the second unit. That move would also send J.R. Smith back into the starting lineup after being bumped into a backup role. Now, J.R. Smith is finally opening up about that stretch in Cleveland.

On a recent episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, Smith shared how tough that situation really was. “I was kind of put in with Dwyane when he came to Cleveland, yeah,” Smith said. “Because it’s like now I got to come off the bench and the team doesn’t look the same like for me.” For a guy who helped deliver Cleveland’s 2016 championship, starting the season benched stung. And when he finally got back in, it wasn’t exactly a proud moment. It wasn’t because of his play, it was because Wade wasn’t clicking. Smith wasn’t particularly happy about this, but over time, Smith learned to see it differently. “I’m able to see it from a perspective and not and take my ego out of it because I know what I bring to teams, I could do so so many different things so it’s not like I’m talking out of my a– it’s like I know I space the floor.”

You know, Smith wasn’t exactly thrilled when he got traded to the Cavs in 2015. He straight-up admitted he cried over it. As J.R. said, “I ain’t gonna lie bro, I cried… All I could really fathom at the time was it was over. Like, damn, this is my best friend… This was like a real live end to an era.” Smith had been a fan favorite in New York, and leaving that behind really stung. But destiny had other plans. He landed in Cleveland, joined LeBron James, and helped deliver the city its long-awaited championship in 2016. The Cavs pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, dethroning the Golden State Warriors’ run.

Sure, it wasn’t always easy for Smith to watch other stars shine while he rode the bench sometimes. But when it mattered most, both he and Dwyane Wade checked their egos at the door. That’s what real pros do when a ring’s on the line. Sure, Dwyane Wade didn’t play the way he wanted during his Cavaliers stint. But he still got something special. He reunited with his longtime partner-in-crime, LeBron James, and that meant everything to him. Wade was genuinely happy to suit up with his brother again, even if the run wasn’t what they’d hoped for.

Dwyane Wade drops a major surprise at the 2025 Met Gala

Dwyane Wade just pulled off a slick little surprise at the 2025 Met Gala. No, it is not about his head-to-toe Prada fit. Let’s be real, the man was clean. The theme this year? “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” and Wade, strolling that blue carpet with Gabrielle Union on his arm, was locked in.

But the real headline? Wade dropped a big one for us. The retired Heat legend is officially the new face of Intuition by Aramis. Yup, Flash has entered the fragrance game. “I’m an everyday fragrance wearer,” Wade told Vogue a couple of days before the gala. “It’s: Wash my face, brush my teeth, put fragrance on. I want other people to have a memory of me through scent.” Man, that’s smooth.

Wade even went old-school for a sec, reminiscing about his first-ever scent: the iconic Cool Water. He said watching his dad put it on back in Chicago taught him how a scent can stick with you and with the people around you.

Since those Cool Water days, the man’s bagged three NBA titles, an Olympic gold, and built one of the coolest post-NBA legacies in the game. Now? He’s coming for your cologne shelf. And honestly, if Wade’s putting his name on it, you already know it’s gotta be fire.

And to top it all off? Wade hit a couple spritzes of Intuition by Aramis before stepping out. You know he had to. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be in a fragrance campaign,” he said. And now, at 43, the man’s finally crossed that one off the list, too. Another W for D-Wade and there’s no stopping.

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