It certainly did not take long for the Philadelphia 76ers to ignite the flame this offseason, as they were able to pry free agent forward Dean Wade from the open market. And in doing so, the team might have actually addressed one of their more obscure, yet pressing issues for quite some time now: their lack of connectors on the offensive end.
76ers landed a forward who can solve one of their pressing issues
Wade was a relatively hot commodity in the free agency market because of his 3-and-D skills. He is passable enough from beyond the arc as a standstill shooter while being a malleable and sizeable option on the defensive end. Having said that, people might be surprised to find out that he is actually a much more efficient playmaker than what people give him credit for.
As pointed out by Basketball University, Wade barely turned the ball over last season while generating a lofty amount of potential assists per minute. Despite the heavily modulated volume as a playmaker, he has displayed impressive efficiency as a connector. Now, that is something the 76ers would definitely want from a potential starter.
Dean Wade turned the ball over on only 2% of his passes last year, by far the least of any player. Also generated 3.4 potential assists per minute on ball, 98th percentile. Very low playmaking volume, but exceptional passing efficiency. Worth exploring this skill more in Philly.
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) July 14, 2026
Wade will help the 76ers mightily this coming season
With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and VJ Edgecombe already composing four of the five spots in the starting unit, the 76ers have four huge mouths to feed on the scoring end. As such, a complementary player would be ideal to install as their fifth starter, and Wade definitely fits the bill of someone who can thrive without needing the ball in his hands.
Passers, especially those who are good secondary ball movers, are essential to this team. In the not-so-distant past, the 76ers looked much better when they had someone who helped oil the engine with connective passing. Remember that stint when Nic Batum was on the team? While that group did not make it far in the playoffs, he offered a glimpse of what the offense could look like with a high-IQ connector.
Wade will be primarily banked on to help rev up their defense as a whole, but him being a great passer despite not being a lead playmaker will go a long way to striking a more harmonious balance in the 76ers' starting five. Even better, as mentioned, he rarely turns the ball over. That is one positive identity which Philly has carved out in recent years, and it would definitely want to preserve that status quo.
Clearly, there are a good number of perks that already come along with signing Dean Wade. Now, the 76ers are poised to capitalize on one of the best under-the-radar
Add us as a preferred source on Google