Two-way Dean Wade is type of player Cavs must hit on in rebuild

Reported two-way signing Dean Wade is just the type of player, along with draft picks, that the Cleveland Cavaliers must hit on in their rebuild.

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be years away from postseason contention, even in the Eastern Conference, which is weaker overall than the NBA’s Western Conference.

That’s fine, though, because the Cavaliers seem to be fully aware that they need to grow themselves back up gradually through the draft and with likely some savvy trades and under-the-radar free agent signings in the next few years.

Cleveland was just 19-63 in 2018-19 (per NBA.com), and as we’ve emphasized here at KJG, injuries to notable rotation players, and the team’s best player, Kevin Love, didn’t help the Cavs’ cause last season, but would Cleveland have been drastically better, given their defensive problems and inconsistency?

I wouldn’t imagine so, but it was alright in the grand scheme, as young players such as Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic got valuable playing time and improved as the year went on, and hopefully, those players can all be (at least Sexton and Osman) crucial pieces to Cleveland’s rebuild in the coming years.

2019 draft picks Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr. seem to be players that the Cleveland Cavaliers have high hopes for, too, and ideally, Garland and Sexton, with better defensive players around them over time, could eventually be Cleveland’s starting backcourt for a long time.

That’s lofty for sure, as we’ve detailed here at KJG, but it’s the blueprint to an extent, and Windler, a player who has shown more than just shooting for the Cavs in NBA Summer League play (as evidenced by him posting 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in two Las Vegas Summer League games to go with 15.0 points, per NBA.com), is a prospect that head coach John Beilein and Cleveland’s coaching staff will need to maximize as well.

More from King James Gospel

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
• This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead

Windler has ready-made ability as a shooter/cutter courtesy of a variety of screens, and Porter is a very talented scorer, but has a ways to go in order to put it all together to be a key piece, let alone future star, and it’s unfortunate that he (along with Garland, due to his past meniscus tear that is now healed) is reportedly likely to not play at all in Summer League due to a reported hip flexor injury.

Along with draft picks, which are such a key part of the Cleveland Cavaliers progressing in their rebuild due to their market size not likely attracting big-time free agents in future years, a type of player Cleveland must hit on is recently-reported (per a Cavs’ official release from an announcement by general manager Koby Altman) two-way signing Dean Wade.

Wade is a player that I’m a bit surprised was an undrafted free agent this year, after posting averages of 12.0 points on 55.6% effective field goal shooting (including 38.6% from three-point range) and 5.4 rebounds per game in four seasons at Kansas State (per Sports Reference), and showed he had a quality inside-out scoring repertoire as a 6-foot-10 stretch 4 that is so valuable in today’s NBA.

He’s displayed that ability in spurts at both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer League, via pick-and-pops and occasionally posting up smaller defenders to get quality looks.

That was something he did consistently at K-State (especially mid-post turnaround fadeaways and rising up along the baseline for jumpers), and in settled offense, he could be a solid role piece for the Cavs if given the chance; you can see some of his offensive repertoire/athleticism near the rim here, courtesy of Next Ones.

Plus, if the Cavaliers do end up trading the likes of John Henson and/or Tristan Thompson mid-next season (who are both expiring) and Wade hasn’t dipped a ton into his two-way playing quota with the Cavs, he could provide nice value as a floor-spacing big in meaningful minutes; the Cavs’ only real floor-spacer as a big is Kevin Love, a player that will likely miss at least some time due to injury and/or precaution.

Along with that, if Wade does do well enough, maybe the Cavs can eventually sign him to a deal that is of the more permanent/guaranteed variety or at least sign him to a rest-of-season deal later on if Wade contributes and shows continued progression with Cleveland’s G-League affiliate, the Canton Charge; two-way players can spend up to 45 days with their NBA teams, according to NBA rules.

Wade is a good athlete that runs the floor well and can defend fairly competently on the perimeter for a big, which is a plus, though his reported foot issues at times in college are a bit concerning, and his interior defense/rebounding isn’t going to be a big strength at the NBA level.

Nonetheless, with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ main focus seemingly being on player development and asset accumulation in the next few years and likely not adding big-name free agents, getting a player such as Wade some considerable minutes-share is a good idea, as those developmental pieces, and good shooters in particular even as two-way players, can be players that can be very valuable down the road if they can progress in a situation where winning isn’t the present focus.

Wade is the type of piece Beilein and his coaching staff are said to get the most out of as well, so let the 22-year-old K-State product get some run in meaningful minutes in 2019-20 maybe alongside Larry Nance Jr., Zizic or potentially Osman, Cavs.