Dean Wade has spent the entirety of his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There are only a few weeks left for him to prove to the franchise that a spot on the roster should be reserved for him until the end of the year.
Wade is in the last season of his three-year, $18.5 million deal with Cleveland. Expiring contracts tend to serve a specific role on the trade market. So far, the Cavaliers forward not done enough for the organization to be dissuaded from letting him be a trade chip before the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
Those conversations will start to really ramp up around Dec. 15. That date marks the pivotal point on the NBA calendar when many trade restrictions for free agent signings of this past offseason will be lifted. From there, the opportunity for front offices to talk shop really commences.
An expiring contract always has value to a rebuilding team. Wade's salary makes him an easy match for a buy-low veteran that is not panning out elsewhere too. Unless the longtime Cavalier wants to be forced out of Cleveland by February, these next few weeks need to involve a major turnaround.
Dean Wade trade may be inevitable for the Cavaliers' championship push
Even amid an imperfect start, most can recognize the Cavaliers roster is a strong and deep one. Health will be of pivotal importance for Cleveland. Assuming they can get somewhere close to 100 percent by playoff time, they will be in good shape.
Just because things are largely manageable does not mean there is no room for fine-tuning the formula. Realistically, anything the Cavaliers do on the trade market will be built around that idea, and not a major game-changer.
Using Wade's lower-middle tier contract as a bargaining chip for a depth upgrade just feels too obvious to ignore as a possibility. There will inevitably be teams who want to rebuild, or move on from a particular fit with a player. When that happens, the Cavaliers could have their opportunity.
The frontcourt could be a spot on this roster worth monitoring. Larry Nance Jr. has been a bit underwhelming for the Cavaliers thus far. Trade restrictions for players like Luke Garza, Jock Landale, and Moritz Wagner will be lifted on Dec. 15. Would Cleveland want to take a shot at any of them?
Even if it does not include someone specifically from the players whose restrictions are being lifted, the Cavaliers will quietly have options. Wade's only choice, by contrast, is to play some of the best basketball of his career over the next few weeks.