Report: Dean Wade is ‘player to monitor’ amid Cavs buzz

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade reportedly is a “player to monitor” as a potential trade candidate this season.

Wade, 29, is in the final season of his contract with the Cavs and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

“While the attention will naturally be on higher-profile possible trade candidates like [Darius] Garland or [Jarrett] Allen, one player to monitor is Dean Wade, sources tell DallasHoopsJournal.com,” Grant Afseth wrote. “Averaging 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 22.7 minutes per game, Wade is earning $6.6 million on an expiring deal.”

Wade has been with the Cavs since the 2019-20 season, but he’s struggled in the 2025-26 season when it comes to his efficiency.

A career 36.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc, Wade is knocking down just 29.0 percent of his 3-point attempts and 37.5 percent of his field-goal attempts for the Cavs this season. His struggles have been amplified since Max Strus and Sam Merrill – two of the team’s top shooters – have missed a lot of time with injuries.

The Cavs could look to shake up their roster at this season’s trade deadline, as they are just 15-14 through their first 29 games and hold the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland won 64 games last season, earning the No. 1 seed in the East, but a top spot in the conference seems unlikely with how the team has played so far this season.

The fact that Wade is on an expiring deal likely has a lot to do with his name being floated in trade chatter. This season, he’s making about $6.6 million.

Wade has started just 128 of the 310 games that he’s played in during his NBA career, but he’s been a consistent piece of Cleveland’s rotation, playing near or over 20 minutes per game in six straight seasons (including this one).

This season, he’s appeared in 27 of the Cavs’ 29 games and made six starts. With Cleveland dealing with a ton of injuries in the 2025-26 campaign, Wade is playing more minutes per game (22.7) than he did last season (21.2). He is a strong defender, making him a good 3-and-D piece when his shots are falling.

It’ll be interesting to see what the market is for the veteran forward as the trade deadline approaches.