After days of speculations, the Philadelphia 76ers have officially signed free agent forward Dean Wade to a four-year, $39 million deal for their first signing in the open market this offseason. This move immediately fixes a couple of pressing needs for the team as they now land of the most coveted role players available this summer.
Formerly of the Cavaliers, Wade was brought to Cleveland by Mike Gansey himself, who is now the tesm president for the 76ers. It appears that his familiarity with the executive ultimately sealed the deal for Philly, which had just beaten out a slew of playoff teams that were reportedly interested in signing the 29-year-old forward.
The 76ers entered the offseason in dire need of more reinforcements at the forward position, and signing Wade is a great first step to achieving that goal. The 6'9" forward out of Kansas State will bring his defensive versatility, much-needed size, and respectable three-point shooting to a team that badly needed all of those things in one fell swoop.
The 76ers officially sign Dean Wade to a four-year deal for their first move in free agency
Four years and $39 million is a pretty solid value for someone like Wade, who has proven himself to be a great complementary player and a defensive-minded piece. The 76ers certainly needed someone who can impact the game without needing the rock given their litany of shot creators, and they definitely got what they needed with Wade.
Philly is currently sapped of its depth at the forward positions with Trendon Watford having his team option declined by the new-look front office and Kelly Oubre Jr. now set to receive more lucrative offers from other ball clubs. That makes it all the more crucial that they were able to secure Wade just shortly after free agency officially began.
Of course this is not the end-all, be-all for the 76ers. Still, bringing Wade into the fold on a multi-year deal bodes well for the team as they aim to have a firm option at forward after a couple of years alternating between short-term players like Guerschon Yabusele and Dominick Barlow.
For now, the 76ers will remain on the lookout for more reinforcements in the frontcourt. But having said that, this is an early win for the team, as Dean Wade was one of the safer options in the free agency market. Hopefully, this ends up being as good of a bargain as it initially appears to be.
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