LeBron offers a simple explanation for why Dwyane Wade didn't join the Cavs

By foxsports
Published

Dwyane Wade shocked the basketball world this summer by bolting the Heat in free agency, and he had his reasons for choosing to sign in Chicago.

But why not reunite with LeBron James to once again to chase titles in Cleveland? In advance of Friday's preseason game between the Bulls and the Cavaliers, James offered a very reasonable response.

"We couldn't afford him," James said, via ESPN. "It's that simple."

"Who wouldn't be interested in a Hall of Famer?" Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. "That don't even make sense. Yeah, we wanted him."

Wade ended up signing with the Bulls on a deal worth $47 million over the next two years. Cleveland, fresh off winning a title and already having multiple players locked up on max or near-max contracts, didn't have any cap dollars to spend.

The most the Cavaliers could have offered Wade was a midlevel exception salary for $3.5 million -- so really, they were only about $20 million short.