The Philadelphia 76ers addressed one of their biggest offseason needs, agreeing to terms with former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade on a four-year, $39 million contract, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Wade, 29, had long been viewed as a logical target after the Sixers hired former Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey as president of basketball operations. Gansey played a key role in bringing Wade to Cleveland as an undrafted free agent and overseeing his development into a reliable rotation player.
Wade averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds last season, but his value extends beyond the box score. Starting in 38 of 59 regular-season games last season for the Cavaliers, Wade took over the starting job shortly before the organization traded De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings ahead of the NBA's trade deadline.
Alongside Cleveland's star-studded lineup, Wade filled in the gaps by spacing the floor and often taking on the toughest perimeter defensive assignments. In Philadelphia, he is expected to fill a similar role, providing perimeter defense, reliable floor spacing and the versatility to complement the Sixers' core.
The Sixers still have work to do despite limited financial flexibility. By using a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Wade, they are now hard-capped at the first apron.
Philadelphia still has roughly $16 million in room below the first apron. The Sixers also have the remainder of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (roughly $6 million), the biannual exception ($5.47 million), a trade exception worth roughly $4.2 million from the Jared McCain trade and veteran minimum contracts.
Wade becomes the first major free-agent addition of the Mike Gansey era, but the team still has multiple roster spots to fill and financial decisions to address. Sixers free agents Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes have already generated interest from around the league, making a reunion with either player increasingly difficult. Retaining both now appears highly unlikely.
Wade's four-year deal includes a partial guarantee in the final season, according to The Stein Line's Jake Fischer.
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