There might not be another team in the NBA getting more recognition for its offseason moves than the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. After making some incredibly big moves, the praise continues to roll in for the Sixers.
Typically, the 76ers get credit for swinging the shocking blockbuster trade to pick up Jaylen Brown. They’ve also landed a ton of praise for winning the LeBron James sweepstakes, which gives them an All-Star on a minimum contract. One signing tends to go under the radar, though, but not in the eyes of CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin.
Dean Wade’s the most underrated pickup?
The biggest sleeper signing in the league, according to a rundown of offseason acknowledgments from CBS Sports, is Wade. It’s easy to forget the Sixers signed him. Ironically, Wade was initially seen as the Sixers’ big move of the offseason.
“The bottom line is Wade's lineups win, and have for some time,” Botkin wrote to explain his pick. Pulling Wade’s lineup numbers in Cleveland, it’s clear that he has contributed enough to be a difference-maker, even if his stats don’t jump off the page. Since 2019, Wade has suited up for the Cavs. He didn’t have a steady role until his second season.
Year two was Wade’s most successful scoring year. He averaged a career-high 6.0 points per game, while shooting 43.1% from the field and 36.6% from three. For the next five seasons, Wade maintained similar play. He had 342 games of experience (160 starts) and posted averages of 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
The Sixers brought on Wade for just under $40 million over four seasons. The fourth season on the deal is only partially guaranteed. At the time of the initial agreement, Wade was viewed as Philly’s starting power forward going into the 2026-2027 NBA season. The fact that he now becomes a backup changes the way Wade is viewed on the Sixers.
Since the Sixers—and others around the league—view Wade as a starting-caliber forward, he clearly falls under sleeper territory now that he’s the primary backup for the superstar forward, LeBron James.
The forward depth is highly valuable
It’s amazing what the presence of LeBron does for the outlook of this roster. Wade as the starter would’ve had a so-so reaction from critics. Some viewed him as valuable, while others felt he’s still better as a backup. Dominick Barlow showed plenty of promise, but he’s still got plenty of room to improve.
The fact that Barlow no longer faces the pressure of trying to win a starting job, or even being one of the first players off the bench, it gives him plenty of time to work on his development. Still, the season that Barlow just turned in was promising. In 71 games, he averaged 23.8 minutes on the court. 59 of his appearances were starts. Barlow shot 53.9% from the field and averaged 7.7 points, along with 4.8 rebounds per game.
With LeBron being a sure star-caliber starter, and Wade being a top sleeper, Barlow’s presence as the No. 3 makes the forward situation quite promising for next season.
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