Grading Dean Wade extension with Cavs from all angles

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a busy offseason. They filled every remaining spot in free agency within 48 hours, signing Ricky Rubio, Raul Neto and Robin Lopez to deals to bolster their bench. Then came the blockbuster move, trading three players and a bevy of draft picks to bring Donovan Mitchell over to the Cavs.

Even within hours of Media Day and the start of Training Camp the team wasn’t done, looking to the future with its current roster and re-signing a key rotation player to a long-term extension. Saturday night, it was announced that the Cavs and combo forward Dean Wade had come to terms on a three-year contract extension:

Wade has been with the Cavs for the entirety of his three-year career, joining the team after going undrafted in 2019. He has averaged 5.3 points and three rebounds per game as a 3-and-D forward for the team, and has been a part of some of the team’s most effective lineups for the past few seasons.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and forward Dean Wade agreed to a three-year contract extension. How can the Cavs’ latest deal be graded from all angles?

Wade is on a $1.9 million deal for this season that was non-guaranteed until now, when the Cavs guaranteed it to ink him to the contract extension. The new extension will kick in for the 2023-24 season, and if it starts at the lowest possible amount and ascends will begin around $5.7 million. Over the life of the extension he will average $6.17 million per season.

Let’s look a little closer at the deal, and analyze what it means for Wade and the Cavs. Is this the right player to lock down long-term? And what is the opportunity cost for agreeing to this now? Let’s look at the deal from all angles.