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Wade is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Celtics.
Wade will get the start Saturday since the 76ers are resting players such as Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Wade started in 38 of his 59 regular-season appearances with the Cavaliers in 2025-26, but he'll likely be a bench player when Philadelphia is healthy in 2026-27.
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76ers' Dean Wade: Shifting to bench
Rotowire
Wade isn't in the starting lineup for Thursday's preseason game against the Nets.
Wade drew the start in the preseason opener with the Sixers electing to rest several key contributors. However, he'll retreat to the bench Thursday with LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey all back in action.
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76ers' Dean Wade: Starting preseason opener
Rotowire
Wade will start Monday's preseason game against the Knicks.
LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are all sitting out the preseason opener for rest purposes, opening the door for Wade to enter the first unit. He'll be joined in the starting five by Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ariel Hukporti.
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76ers' Dean Wade: Ready to make defensive impact
Rotowire
Wade said recently he wants to play hard, bring energy and make a difference on the defensive side of the ball for the 76ers in the 2026-27 campaign, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
"My focus during the year will be playing hard and making a difference one-on-one defensively," Wade said. "My stats may not wow a lot of people, but my energy and impact in the game will." After going undrafted in 2019 and spending the first seven years of his career with Cleveland, Wade agreed to a four-year, $38.7 million pact with Philadelphia on June 30. The club traded for Jaylen Brown the next day and signed LeBron James in late July, so Wade figures to operate off the bench behind the star forwards. The 29-year-old is known for taking on challenging defensive assignments and is a career 36.7 percent shooter from three-point range. He'll likely carve out a meaningful role for the 76ers given his versatility on the defensive end, though he shouldn't be expected to stuff the stat sheet. Over 59 regular-season appearances (38 starts) with the Cavaliers in 2025-26, he averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 triples, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks in 22.3 minutes per tilt.
Wade agreed to a four-year, $39 million contract with the 76ers on Tuesday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Wade spent the first seven years of his career in Cleveland, most recently averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 blocks and 0.7 steals while shooting 36.2 percent from deep across 22.3 minutes in 59 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. Although the 29-year-old forward hasn't been a steady contributor throughout his career, he'll still provide valuable depth for the Sixers, considering he's capable of contributing on both ends of the floor while being used interchangeably as a starter or reserve.
