Cavaliers extend Dean Wade to three-year, $18.5M deal

Dean Wade signed a two-way contract with the Cavs in 2019 after a four-year career at Kansas State where he was first time All-Big 12 as a senior. He became a part of the Cavs’ rotation by his second season, averaging 19.2 minutes and starting 28 of his 51 games last year.

Wade has a real chance to be the starter at small forward this season, alongside the Cavs three All-Stars (Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen), and stud sophomore Evan Mobley. He can guard all three front-court positions, and he is the ultimate catch-and-shoot guy - almost two-thirds of his field goal attempts were 3-pointers, and a whopping 98% of those were assisted.

With Lauri Markkanen traded to Utah. Wade will compete with Isaac Okoro and Caris Levert for the starting job at small forward. He’s 6-foot-9, so Wade can play both forward positions. And last year he upped his career points to 665, eclipsing the 513 points scored by Dwyane Wade, meaning he’s now the highest-scoring D. Wade in Cavaliers history.

$16.5M of Wade’s deal is guaranteed, and he can earn $2M more incentives. The deal will keep him in a Cavs uniform through 2025.