Dean Wade may not be the headliner in Philadelphia, but he’s already drawing the kind of praise that explains why the 76ers wanted him in the first place.
For a lot of fans, the offseason spotlight has been swallowed up by the bigger names around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe. But Wade was the Sixers’ first major move, and the front office clearly saw him as more than a depth add.
Philadelphia gave him a four-year, $38.7 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. His salary starts at $9 million and doesn’t climb past $10 million until the final year in 2029-2030.
He won’t be in the opening lineup if the Sixers are fully healthy, but he should be one of the first options off the bench and will share the floor with the starters plenty. That’s the lane he’s built for, and it’s the kind of role that can quietly matter on a roster loaded at the top.
LeBron James put it bluntly after Thursday night’s preseason action, when Wade was working in a bench role during his second exhibition game with Philadelphia:
"He fits on any basketball team on the planet," LeBron told reporters. "Gotta have guys like that in order to win, but I mean, he could play for any basketball team on the planet, and he'll fit right in."
That’s the stamp of approval the Sixers were probably hoping for when they circled Wade on their free-agent board. He’s not being brought in to soak up usage or dominate a possession-heavy role. He’s there to do a little of everything, and do it well enough that the whole thing works.
The profile makes sense. Wade spent seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and finished with averages of 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, while shooting 36.7% from three on 3.2 attempts per game.
He’s already started to show how that translates in Philadelphia. In the Sixers’ preseason opener against the Knicks, Wade played 13 minutes and finished with two points, five rebounds, and one steal. In a bigger role later on, he went a perfect from three, scored seven points, and added four rebounds.
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