Unlike last year, the Philadelphia 76ers will certainly not have deep pockets to play with in free agency in hopes of improving the roster and help the team get back on track after a deflating campaign this season, and how the front office plans to maneuver to overcome that and remain effective this summer will be one of the biggest storylines for the franchise.
Resourcefulness and making the most out of opportunities will be the name of the game for Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and company this offseason. Limited to just re-signing their key cogs, albeit at huge costs, and making some proverbial minimum signings, the front office will have very little margin of error this time around.
However, having said that, there are windows of opportunities that should be available for the team if they exert their earnest efforts in sneaking around and capitalizing on other teams’ equally delicate financial situations. To that effect, look no further than one of their formidable opponents next season — the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 76ers should capitalize on the Cavs’ financial situation and sign Dean Wade for cheap
Coming off a historically great campaign which ended in a very disappointing fashion, Cleveland is looking to retain their key players from this season. However, just ike Philadelphia, the Cavs will not be able to keep everyone as most of their standout cogs project to earn bigger paydays.
As a result, the Cavaliers have reportedly tried trading Dean Wade, the versatile three-and-D big man who is set to earn around $6.6 million next season, in hopes of clearing up some more cap space to retain the likes of Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill, who both served crucial roles for them off the bench.
If that is the case, the 76ers should go after Wade. The 28-year-old has very modest numbers in his career, but his value lies on defense and with the intangibles. Standing at 6’9” barefoot, Wade has been frequently deployed by the Cavs to go up and check bigger opposing forwards in spurts, and has also contributed a lot to their shifty design on both ends this season.
Philadelphia badly needs additional size at forward, and Wade provides exactly that. He can play both forward positions and even function as a small-ball, stretch center; thus, he can definitely supply a lot of variability for Nick Nurse and his staff.
More importantly, 76ers will not even need to part with anything of real value to snag Wade. Really, there is little risk to mounting a pursuit for the Kansas State alum.
The Philadelphia 76ers have to be really deliberate with their moves this offseason, and trading for someone like Dean Wade, a solid contributor who can fill some of their more pressing needs, is just the kind of sneaky move that could make them one of the biggest winners this summer, all things considered.