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“Dean Wade doesn’t need the ball to be effective, and every offense can use a guy like that,” Nurse said at summer league. “He does a lot of dirty work. He defends and he’s someone who can make a lot of reads off the primary playmakers.” Wade and his group chose the Sixers, according to league sources, in large part because Gansey and Nelson sold him on the vision of how he wanted the Sixers to work as an organization and how he wanted to build the roster. Wade and Gansey have long shared trust and a close relationship. Wade was one of Gansey’s first real finds as an executive, and behind the scenes pushed for his ever expanding role with the Cavaliers.
Q: How do you expect your style of play to fit next to a guy like LeBron James? Dean Wade: I think my biggest impact on the game is on the defensive end, and just communicating, talking through switches and stuff like that is probably the best way I could fit in on that side. Then on the offensive end, just kind of space, give those guys space to do what they’ve always done, and make open shots when the opportunity presents itself, but other than that, most of it is on the defensive end, but offensively, just give them space, and kind of read off what they do.
Q: I know you grew up in Kansas, but I'm curious. How did the hoop dreams come to fruition for you? Dean Wade: Man, it's a different kind of story, for sure. I grew up in Kansas, you know, small, small town. 1200 people in my town. My graduating class had 18. So, I didn't really, like nobody really played high major basketball out of my high school before. So, I didn't really know how far basketball was going to take me. I was just like, ‘Man, I'm just going to keep playing until the wheels fall off.‘ and luckily, the wheels are still on. I never really thought about being a professional basketball player was in my cards really until I got to college. Like, I really didn't know. That was never really like, for me, an attainable dream in my mind because I knew the statistics. I knew the percentages of people that come from anywhere and make the NBA is is very low so it was a dream of mine.
Dean Wade: I didn't think it was going to actually happen to me and then I go to K-State, and for my first year, I had a good year, but I still didn't really think about it. In my sophomore year, after my sophomore year, I was like, ‘Man, maybe, maybe I can actually make this work.’ And that's kind of the first time I really-I don't know if it was me being naive or what, but, that was, I think I was like 20 years old when I figured out that maybe this basketball thing could make me a lot of money in my life. So, that was kind of the first time I thought that this basketball dream was going to really pan out, but other than that, before that, I was just playing to play. I was just whatever happens that day happens. I was just happy to be playing basketball.
Q: Where did you learn to shoot the way you do then? Did you have a shooting coach or some type of trainer? Dean Wade: No, I never had a trainer. I never had really like—I played for probably one of the best high school basketball coaches in Kansas, and he had us in the gym all the time. It was just me and my friends running around town all the time. Like, he always got us in the gym, little kids camps or fundamentals. I mean, I played with the same guys I graduated with high school. Same guys I won my sophomore year state championship with, and then the rest of my high school years were the same people I played my second grade basketball every year. Played with them all the way up. So, we were doing basketball camps a couple times the summer. We were always playing basketball. So, our fundamentals were good from the jump, and then also having my mom and dad, both athletes and played in college. My dad played football in college, but was a good basketball player. So, they taught me the fundamentals early, and they pushed me to be a competitor and a basketball player. So, I had good basics, good foundation from a basketball game from a young age, and that obviously helped me to now. That's where I kind of learned to shoot and play team basketball was with definitely in the camps and through my mom and dad. My sister beating me up all the time was also a big motivator in basketball games.
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“The 76ers were super interested as soon as they could start talking with me in free agency. Mike and those guys were calling me non-stop during the first five hours or so of free agency, and that told me everything I needed to know about how much they valued me. And having Mike, someone who has always believed in me and supported me, goes a long way,” Wade told ClutchPoints. “As far as basketball goes, I wanted to go somewhere that was ready to compete and be a title-contending team. “My relationship with Gansey and having the opportunity to play for a real contender on a very competitive team stood out. 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.”
Was there ever a piece of you that wanted to say, “You know what, I just really want to go back to Cleveland?” Dean Wade: Yeah, absolutely. 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. 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. There was definitely that feeling, but overall, I knew it was time to move on and see what else was out there.
What have you been working on the most? Dean Wade: Everything has been about decision-making, especially in the paint. Being able to read different defenses in terms of how they’re guarding the paint because of the personnel we have on our roster. Jaylen, LeBron, and Tyrese are all exceptional playmakers who draw attention. Defenders will have to hard hedge on screens, so it’s on me to make their jobs easy and create those advantageous 4-on-3 or 3-on-2 situations offensively. And of course, I am always working on my shooting and will be ready for all the opportunities these guys are able to create for me. I’ve been in the weight room a lot trying to get stronger without putting on much weight. I like to float around 230-235 lbs. Anything more than that is too much and will impact my movement laterally as a defender. I’ve also been focused on cutting down my overall body fat while getting stronger. My teammates will count on me to do a little bit of everything this year, so I need to make sure my body and mindset are right entering the preseason.
Chris Fedor: ‘Part of the reason why they moved on from Max Strus is because he was going to be a free agent at the end of this year. But it was also, this is a guy who has dealt with injuries in back-to-back seasons. At one point, we did replace him in the starting lineup with Dean Wade. Dean Wade's no longer here, but we could theoretically replace him again in the starting lineup, this time with Jaylon Tyson or something like that. So the point is, every player has a contract, and these front offices are looking at it saying, the value that you bring to our organization, does it match the contract that you have?’
Bobby Manning: Mike Gansey here said Jaylen talks picked up after Dean Wade signing. Didn't expect to see Jaylen become a Sixer: "We kept at it. Boston kept calling, we kept calling ... Credit Brad. We kept this thing quiet. They got Paul. Paul still can really play."
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Although the deal has not yet been made official, sources tell cleveland.com that the Cavaliers are working through the proper steps to get Hezonja released from his Real Madrid pact and there is no concern about the agreed-to deal being in jeopardy. Cleveland’s expectation is Hezonja will be in the team’s every-night rotation, providing much-needed frontcourt depth after the team lost versatile forward Dean Wade to the Sixers in free agency.
Bob Myers didn’t mind laying out a case for the Sixers, who feel they’ve seriously strengthened their team by trading for Jaylen Brown. They’ve also drafted Labaron Philon Jr. and signed Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Ariel Hukporti. “When you’re talking about the Sixers, if he was here I’d say, ‘I honestly believe this is your best chance to win. You have to decide all the other things that are equally important.’ It’s his life, right? He has to play. He has to face the scrutiny of his decision,” Myers said. “Half the people will say, ‘You should’ve done this’ or ‘You should’ve done that’ and criticize him for whatever. It’s his life; he’s been through all that. What I would just say is, ‘If it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team, because you can win here in Philadelphia.’”
