CLEVELAND — Last Wednesday, after settling a buyout with his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, Dwayne Wade announced through Twitter that he would be joining his former teammate LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Fall of 2017. Wade and the Cavaliers have agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal, the “veteran minimum” as some analysts described it, to play with his former teammate.

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The move was rather evident over the past few weeks, as rumors were stirred up on social media and by expert analysts league-wide. However, an official announcement would not come out until last Wednesday, when Wade, the Bulls, and the Cavaliers were able to come to an agreement on his buyout.

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In a written statement, Wade described how excited he was to be joining “#TheLand”, and his former Miami Heat teammate LeBron James. Wade also went on to express his appreciation of the Bull’s organization and the support of his hometown fans.

In another written statement, Wade talked about how difficult this decision was to leave his hometown team explaining, “...being part of a team that is in the process of rebuilding doesn’t align with where I want to be right now no matter how difficult that decision may be.” The Bulls franchise, which historically has been synonymous with being a championship organization, has been going through what some may describe as a rebuilding process over the past few years. As Wade stated, unfortunately, this did not parallel with the former NBA All-Star’s goals, as Wade seemingly finds himself in the waning days of his outstanding and legendary career.

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He then went on the explain what it meant to him to be joining the Cavaliers saying he sees the franchise as a team that “...believes in my talents and what I can bring to a championship contender both as a player and a leader.” LeBron James also explained just how excited he was to have his former teammate, mentor, and close friend, back in his team’s corner. LeBron explained in an interview at practice on Wednesday, “It's kind of like when you start school and you walk into the classroom and you're not quite sure who your classmates are and when you walk in there and one of your best friends is in there, you're like, 'Oh, yeah, this is going to be fun. It's going to be a good class.' That's the type of feeling I got."

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Wade seems to be getting the better end of the bargain, leaving the Bulls during their rebuilding process to join the Cavs, who themselves are coming off of back-to-back-to-back championship appearances, taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2016. The organization fully expects to contend for a championship this coming season as well. But the three-time NBA champion and twelve-time NBA All-Star brings with him the experience of his long career with multiple organizations and coaches. Along with his experience, Wade will look to provide leadership to young team members, some of whom probably grew up watching Wade throughout the early 2000’s, as he brought the Heat in South Beach.

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Aside from the intangibles that Wade brings to any team he might have joined, his connection with James cannot be emphasized enough. The photo above, dubbed the Mona Lisa of basketball photos, immortalizes the flashy high-flying type of play these two bring to the court. While responses to the news have been mixed, fans of the league are certainly in for much more of the nonstop action these two brought to South Beach.