Dean Wade’s move to Philadelphia already has a little extra spice to it, and it came from his own mouth.
After seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the undrafted Kansas State product is now with the Sixers, reunited with former Cavs GM Mike Gansey. At Media Day, Wade laid out exactly why he made the switch, and the line that stood out was simple: “… Definitely.
I knew why I was coming here. I wanted to compete for a championship…”
That comment has plenty of room for interpretation. Maybe it was just a straightforward answer from a player explaining his next stop.
Maybe it landed as a subtle swipe at Cleveland and the way things are run. Either way, it’s the kind of quote that gets noticed when it comes from a player who spent so long in one place.
Wade’s run with the Cavs mattered. He arrived with the 2019-20 team and, by his second season, was earning bigger minutes, cracking the starting lineup and knocking down threes. Over time, his value on the floor grew, especially because of what he brought defensively with his size and versatility.
Now he’s in Philadelphia on a deal worth $39 million, a number that wasn’t going to be there from his old team as Cleveland tried to save money and get under the aprons. It also ties back to Gansey, since Wade was his first signing in the new setup.
That matters because Wade wasn’t just some late add-on. He was the first addition to the new-look 76ers, before LeBron James, before Jaylen Brown, before KCP, Anfernee Simons and the rest. At the time, the assumption was that he might even open the year as a starter in Philadelphia.
Instead, the role picture looks a little different now. Wade is projected to come off the bench as a sixth man, though there should be plenty of chances to play.
LeBron James is 42 and won’t appear in all 82 games, and Joel Embiid doesn’t have that kind of track record either. That should leave Wade in line for more than 25 minutes a night.
He also appears set to slide into a major defensive job, taking over for Kelly Oubre/Paul George as the top perimeter stopper. The Sixers will lean on him against the other team’s best players, and Jaylen Brown is also part of that mix when games tighten up late.
That ability to close games is part of what makes Wade such a useful fit. He has the size, the versatility and the kind of defensive presence that should help him stick in the rotation and finish a bunch of games.
The timing makes the storyline even better. Philadelphia’s second game of the season, and its home opener, will come against Cleveland.
For the Cavaliers, that will be their first game of the year. Wade, wearing No. 45, won’t have to wait long to face the team where he spent the first stretch of his NBA career.
Whether his comments were a shot at the Cavs or just a player saying he wanted a different opportunity is still up for debate. But there doesn’t appear to be any real bad blood here. And when the Sixers eventually come to Cleveland for the first time, Wade should get a warm reception.
In Other News...
Craig Porter Jr. Faces A Cavs Question Defense Alone Wont Answer
Craig Porter Jr. is back in the mix for Cleveland entering his fourth season, and the backup point guard job is one of the more interesting camp battles around the roster. Porter has already built a reputation as a disruptive defender and a strong rebounder for his position, which gives him a clear lane in the conversation. But with the Cavaliers looking to fill that reserve role, his case is tied just as much to whether his offense can keep pace as it is to the edge he brings on the other end.
Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas are also in the picture, which makes this a real competition rather than a courtesy nod to experience. For Porter, the challenge is familiar: defense can get him on the floor, but Cleveland needs a backup guard who can steady the offense too, and that part of his game still has room to grow. How he handles that balance will go a long way toward deciding whether he claims the opening. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cavs Champion Brings An Uncomfortable Update Fans Didn't Expect
JR Smith, one of the more recognizable names from the Cavaliers 2016 championship run, is back in the news for a far less celebratory reason. Hunt County jail records show the former guard was arrested in Texas on a charge of family violence assault causing bodily injury, an unwelcome update for a player many Cleveland fans still remember from the franchises biggest moment.
According to the records, Smith was pulled over after an automatic license plate reader flagged his vehicle because of an active warrant, and he was then booked at the Hunt County Detention Center. Smith, a two-time NBA champion who later enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University as a collegiate golfer, has long been in the public eye for life beyond basketball, but this latest development leaves a very different kind of question hanging over his post-playing career. [Read more 🡒]
Mario Hezonja Sounds Like A Different Fit For These Cavaliers
Mario Hezonja is arriving in Cleveland with a far different pitch than the one that followed him around earlier in his NBA career. After finding success in Europe and acknowledging how much his approach has changed, he is talking more like a piece designed to fit around stars than a player trying to chase touches and shot volume. For a Cavaliers team built around Donovan Mitchell and with James Harden in the conversation as part of the broader backdrop, that kind of self-awareness matters.
Hezonjas past in the league came with plenty of unfinished business, but his latest comments suggest he understands the assignment now. Rather than framing himself as a primary scorer, he is signaling a willingness to do the little things and support Cleveland wherever it needs help. For a roster that already has high-end creators, the question is less about whether Hezonja can put up numbers and more about whether his maturity translates into the kind of dependable role the Cavaliers need. [Read more 🡒]