Dean Wade believes his self-made defense and ready-made shooting are a great fit next to Sixers’ stars

Dean Wade lived two houses down from the St. John High School gym, and had a set of keys.

Well, his mother, Trish, did. She was the school’s volleyball and track coach in their town located “in the middle of nowhere, Kansas,” Dean said, and he often swiped those keys to let himself in for his own workouts.

“I lived in the gym,” Dean recalled Tuesday. “That was all I ever really knew was basketball.”

That commitment eventually led Dean Wade to the NBA, where he elevated himself from an undrafted player on a two-way contract to complementary contributor on the Cleveland Cavaliers team that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals this year. The 6-foot-9 forward has earned a reputation as a versatile defender — he guarded point guards, wings, and power forwards during the playoffs — who can space the floor on offense.

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Now, Wade believes his beyond-the-box-score skills will translate to the Sixers, after signing his four-year contract worth almost $39 million.

“A big reason was just kind of fit,” Wade said of why he joined a team that now boasts All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown alongside entrenched stars Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

Wade acknowledged during Tuesday’s introductory session with Philly media that, while growing up in a place with a population of less than 1,200, the NBA felt like a “cool dream” but not exactly a realistic option.

Still, Wade was part of an athletic and competitive household. Older sister Teresa was a standout volleyball player like their mother. Their father, Jay, played college football at Kansas State. Dean, though, was the “worst loser” if a parent beat him in a no-stakes card game.

On the basketball court, Wade developed into the state’s top high-school player in 2015 — despite playing for one of its smallest schools — and a four-year standout at Kansas State. After Wade was not selected in the 2019 draft, a Cavaliers front office featuring new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey signed him to a two-way contract to split time between the G League and NBA teams.

“I think [Gansey] had a big say in that,” Wade said.

Still, Wade was not regarded as a defensive stalwart when he first entered the NBA. During a candid conversation with Cleveland assistants, he learned that committing to that end of the floor would be his path to earning meaningful minutes.

So he got stronger in the weight room. He embraced his stints in the G League. And in his second NBA season, a barrage of injuries suddenly pushed Wade into 19 starts that made him believe he could “truly stick in this league.”

Now, Wade relishes whenever a ballhandler isolates against him, and the game becomes “head up, and who’s better?”

“I’ve got to play with that little chip on my shoulder,” Wade said. “I love that competitive spirit, where it’s just whose will is going to outlast whose? That’s where I enjoy the defensive part of it. …

“You don’t want to let any of your teammates down. You know how important you are on the defensive end, and you’ve got to do your job so everyone else can do their job.”

Wade averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 59 games last season for the Cavaliers, and earned praise from teammates such as All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell for his postseason defense.

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Now, Wade gets to play alongside Brown, who is a stout defender in addition to his offensive excellence. Wade called Brown “definitely one of the toughest people I’ve had to guard” because of his blend of size, athleticism, skill, and “edge.” Wade also has experienced Maxey’s blazing speed firsthand, acknowledging the All-NBA guard has blown by him a time or two.

So Wade’s goal on offense is to be enough of a three-point threat — he has shot 36.7% on an average of 3.2 attempts in his career — to give those perimeter scorers plus Embiid space to operate. He vowed to put himself in position to grab offensive rebounds. And he brings plenty of experience with playoff intensity, through team success and missteps.

Wade won’t need a set of keys to enter his new home gym in Camden. He will navigate his first Sixers season alongside Gansey, who regularly was among the first faces he saw wherever he walked into the Cavaliers’ practice facility.

And when asked about what he expects from Philly, Wade leaned on a tidbit he picked up from former Sixer and Cavalier Georges Niang.

“It’s the best fans in the world — as long as you’re playing the right way,” Wade said of Niang’s message. “I feel like I take pride in playing the right way.”

Adem Bona’s $2.3 million salary for the 2026-27 season became fully guaranteed Tuesday, after the Sixers did not waive the reserve big man before July 7.

Bona, who is entering his third NBA season, is expected to compete with newcomer Ariel Hukporti for the backup center job behind Embiid. Last season, Bona shared that role with veteran Andre Drummond, who left the Sixers in free agency to sign with the New York Knicks.

Bona averaged 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 17.1 minutes per game in 2025-26. He impressed with his athleticism and rim protection, but struggled to stay out of foul trouble and limit mistakes. He was a second-round draft pick in 2025.

Hukporti, who on Monday signed his one-year, $3.4 million contract, was a part of the Knicks’ championship team.

Now, the 24-year-old big man is ready to learn from Embiid — and “just do my job.”

Hukporti believes that will encompass the “dirty work” on the defensive end, where his athleticism allows him to switch onto multiple positions. He also plans to be a reliable screen-setter for the Sixers’ guards headlined by Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

“Just the little things that make a big impact when it comes to winning,” said Hukporti, who was New York’s third-string center behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

Hukporti has averaged 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in limited minutes across 79 games in his first two NBA seasons. Still, experiencing the Knicks’ title run — which featured multiple dramatic comebacks including an epic Game 4 of the Finals — reinforced a mantra of “never give up.”

“No matter what happens,” he said. “You can always win in every situation — the playoffs, especially.”