Cleveland Cavaliers: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Signing Dean Wade to 2-way deal
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t spend a lot of time kicking the tires on prospects for the first of their two two-way contract spots, signing undrafted rookie Dean Wade out of Kansas State on July 1, the very first day of the new league year.
Wade missed time as a senior last season with a foot injury, but averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per game in 25 outings for the Wildcats, shooting 49.2 percent overall and a solid 41.8 percent on 2.2 3-point tries per game.
For a Cleveland Cavaliers team that could use a stretch big off the bench, Wade is a low-risk candidate who will get opportunities with the G League’s Canton Charge to learn the pro game.
Wade wasn’t shy about firing it up from deep in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, launching 20 deep attempts in five games. Now he just has to work on making them.
Wade averaged 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 27.7 minutes per game for the Cavs’ Summer League unit but shot just 31.0 percent overall and 20.0 percent (4-for-20) from deep.
His stroke is solid — he was a 78.9 percent free-throw shooter last season and was 5-for-6 at the line in the Summer League — but adjusting to the long line may take some time.
If Wade can make the jump, the Cavs have gotten themselves a stretchy big on the cheap. If he can’t, two-way deals don’t even count against the cap.
Grade: B-