Kansas State Basketball: Dean Wade has chance to develop with Cavs

Dean Wade finished out his career with Kansas State basketball this past season, but his playing days aren’t over. While Wade went undrafted during the 2019 NBA Draft, he signed a two-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The two-way deal means that Dean Wade can play with both the Cavaliers and also participate with their G-league. This gives the former Kansas State star a chance to truly develop at the pro level and shows that the Cavs have faith he can become something special for them.

Wade finished his K-State career averaging 12 points on 49.2% shooting while also hauling in 5.4 rebounds and totaling 2.1 assists per game. He was a star in Manhattan, but injuries prevented him from being a part of that magical run in the 2017-2018 season and also held him back during his senior season this past year.

The injuries also likely played a hand in why Wade went undrafted. Him getting undrafted wasn’t all that shocking, but most assumed he’d land with a team rather quickly, and he did just that.

As for what Wade can provide for the Cleveland Cavaliers, his ability to score is probably what caught their eye. Wade also played solid defense during his time in college, but Dan Gilinsky of King James Gospel writes that he might not be a great defender in the NBA.

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"The Kansas State product was an underwhelming rebounder in college and could have his share of problems on the defensive end of the floor at the NBA level, and likely against 4’s and 5’s, as Wade is listed at 6-foot-10 and 228 pounds"

It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, Wade can bring to the Cavaliers and to the NBA. He was a wizard for the Kansas State Wildcats and made them a better team whenever he was on the court. The problem was that he was banged up frequently and the team suffered as a result.

The Cavaliers had themselves a decent draft, picking up Darius Garland with the fifth overall pick, Dylan Windler with the 26th pick, and technically Kevin Porter Jr. at pick 30 (the Bucks are in discussions to trade it to Cleveland).

Along with Wade, Cleveland also signed Marques Bolden of Duke and Phil Booth of Villanova after those two also went undrafted. In other words, Wade will have some competition with his new team.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a long career for Dean Wade. He was a lot of fun to watch during his days with Kansas State basketball and fans would love to see the guy succeed at the pro level.