Dean Wade is off to a new adventure in his NBA career, with the former Cleveland Cavaliers forward deciding to take his talents to the City of Brotherly Love in the offseason. Wade moved on from his Cavs phase and signed a four-year, $38.7 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in July.
It is the biggest contract he’s signed yet in his time in the league.
The temptation to run it back with the Cavs was there for Wade, but he ultimately chose a different path this time around.
“I was so comfortable there. A lot of my life happened in Cleveland. Part of me definitely wanted to go back because that’s where my life was and I had so many great, genuine relationships there with teammates, team personnel, and so many others,” the former Kansas State Wildcats star said during an interview with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
However, Wade wanted to venture outside of Cleveland.
“On the other side of things, it was kind of just time for me to go somewhere else and write the next chapter of my career by experiencing something new, added Wade.
Moreover, a connection with a team executive appeared to factor into Wade’s decision to leave Cleveland and go to the 76ers. Philadelphia’s lead executive, Mike Gansey, used to serve the Cavs as the team’s general manager.
“My relationship with Gansey and having the opportunity to play for a real contender on a very competitive team stood out,” the 29-year-old Wade shared.
And as soon as I made my decision, Jaylen (Brown) was traded here, and then LeBron (James) joined on as well. That immediately let me know I made the right decision.”
Wade went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, but the Cavs took a chance on him with a two-way contract before signing him to a multi-year deal in 2020.
In 342 games played for the Cavs, Wade averaged 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while shooting 36.7 percent from behind the arc on 3.2 attempts per outing.