Last season, it was nice to see Dean Wade get his share of meaningful playing time for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade did not get much of that in his first season after he was an undrafted two-way signing by Cleveland following the 2019 NBA Draft.
Wade did demonstrate stretch big potential with Cleveland’s then-G League affiliate, the Canton Charge (now Cleveland Charge), as he knocked in 39.9 percent of his three-point attempts in 2019-20 with them, though.
But even while injuries to the likes of Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. did play into it, Wade did show he can be a viable rotational catch-and-shoot player for the Cavs last season.
Although his traditional stat line of 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per outing didn’t knock anyones’ socks off, Wade’s confidence as a shooter grew as the year progressed it seemed. He hit a respectable 36.6 percent of his three-point attempts, which given the circumstances, I thought was encouraging.
Wade looks to be a quality catch-and-shoot presence to have for drivers, and he did flash some off-movement shooting as well. He also looks to be a legitimate pick-and-pop threat in sequences with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, if he ends up sticking around (you can view more on trade rumors involving him here).
Clearly, in a general sense, with what Wade showed last season, he looks to be a player that can be a quality rotational player to have, and he can mesh with a variety of players as a functional off-ball piece.
Wade looks to be a valuable Cavs stretch big from here.
As a brief side note, it was unfortunate that Kevin Love wasn’t able to go for Team USA, and reportedly is still not 100 percent back from his right calf injury, which limited him to only 25 games last season. And him being involved in a potential trade package seems much less likely, albeit we’ll have to see in regards to a potential buyout; the two sides have not reportedly had buyout discussions yet.
But either way, if Love is back in the fold, his role/minutes-share is reportedly expected to be reduced, and there would feasibly be some rest worked into the schedule, involving back-to-backs, etc.
Even with Love though, and potentially Evan Mobley at the 4/5 if he’s drafted by Cleveland, with what showed last season, he should be in the rotational mix for the Cavs due to his shooting abilities.
Wade again was a bright spot in that sense last season for the Cavaliers, to a large degree, and his off-ball effectiveness/pick-and-pop ability should lead to him getting his share of PT once again. The 24-year-old was a bright spot for Cleveland last season, and in some lineups, he could again be a capable jumbo 3. Or there could be some instances where Wade’s in at the 4, and Nance is at the 3.
Also, with Taurean Prince/Cedi Osman previously in trade rumors near the past deadline, it’d seem pretty realistic that Prince, who factored into the 3/4 rotation but is expiring, could be moved. Even with him being a quality shooter, with Isaac Okoro/Dylan Windler and Mobley too, he could end up being an odd man out.
So, just generally, with how Wade did do a solid job defensively at the other end as well, with Prince and potentially Osman as trade pieces for the Cavs, or Prince at least, I’d think that’d reiterate that Wade could very well be a crucial stretch rotational big.
That’s with the uncertainties with Love involving health, too, for what it’s worth, even if Prince does stick around/proves to be able to get healthy/stay healthier.
Point being, even with him set to be non-guaranteed for the next seasons, I would think that Wade, who can play in a variety of lineups with his shooting/defensive feel, further proves he’s a valuable player for the Cavs in 2021-22.
The 6-foot-10 Kansas State product could perhaps stick around more from there; we’ll see.