Cavaliers trade Dwyane Wade to Heat for second-round pick

Bring back Miami-Wade County.

Continuing a complete upheaval of their roster at the trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers have sent 12-time All Star and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade to the Miami Heat, where he has played the majority of his illustrious NBA career. The trade was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

In return, the Cavaliers will receive a “heavily protected” second round pick that will be sent to Sacramento as part of an earlier trade, per Wojnarowski.

Wade, who just turned 36, spent his first 13 seasons in Miami, where he became the Heat’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals, minutes and games played. He led the Heat to its first-ever championship in 2006 (winning Finals MVP), and then added two more rings in 2012 and 2013 alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh. This year in Cleveland, he was averaging 11.2 points per game in 23.2 minutes per game coming off the bench, both career lows.

The Heat currently occupy the seven seed in the Eastern Conference despite a slew of injuries, including a season-ending ankle injury for Dion Waiters. Regardless of whether Wade starts or comes off the bench, he should be able to provide an offense boost for a team that is 28th in the league in points per game and 24th in points per possession. He’ll also serve as a valuable veteran presence for a Heat roster that has several key young pieces.

As for Cleveland, the trade continues a massive upheaval in an attempt to get younger and more athletic. Earlier, the Cavaliers sent Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a protected first-round pick to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr. Additionally, they agreed to a three-team swap with the Jazz and the Kings that dumped Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and Iman Shumpert in return for Rodney Hood and George Hill.

The series of trades leaves Cleveland with two open roster spots, making it a strong candidate for some post-trade deadline moves as well.