Dean Wade has to start for Cavs after Donovan Mitchell trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers clarified a lot of things with their trade for Donovan Mitchell. They ended the Collin Sexton negotiations, found the solution to their second-creator needs, and answered the question of who would start at shooting guard. The flip side if that the Cavs now have a decision to make at small forward.

Four of the starters are locked into place heading into next season. Darius Garland and Mitchell will be the starting backcourt, and Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will start at the two big positions. That’s three All-Stars from last season and the Rookie of the Year runner-up, a combination of top-end talent that few teams in the league can boast.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a question to answer at small forward. Dean Wade is the clear and obvious answer to start for the Cavs this season

Trading Lauri Markkanen to the Utah Jazz, however, now opens up the starting small forward position. That’s the one big weakness on this team, and moving both Ochai Agbaji and Markkanen in the Mitchell trade only exacerbated the issue. Who will the Cavs lean on at small forward?

A few weeks ago we compared Dean Wade and Markkanen, making the case for each to start; Markkanen as the incumbent, Wade as the better fit. Now we have to pivot and compare Wade to the players still here, namely Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro. Doing so makes it clear that Wade should start.

Why should Wade start at the 3? Let’s dig a little deeper.