This Player Was Named The Cleveland Cavaliers' Best Kept Secret
![Mar 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) and guard Darius Garland (10) react after Wade hit a three point basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Mar 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) and guard Darius Garland (10) react after Wade hit a three point basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3981,h_2239,x_0,y_26/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/cavs_insider/01j56dk4mbajxxvykbnx.jpg)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are most known for their "core four" of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They even signed three of the four to contract extensions this summer, and Garland was already extended in 2022.
So, barring trades, we are likely going to see this fearsome foursome in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
But are there any overlooked players on the Cavaliers' roster?
Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes thinks so and has named forward Dean Wade as the best kept secret on the team.
Hughes goes as far to say that Wade is the "ideal" fifth place to place along Cleveland's big four, but that Wade has been unable to stay on the floor.
The Cavs added Wade as an undrafted free agent back in 2019, but he has maxed out at 63 games, which came back in his second season. Since then, Wade has appeared in 51, 44 and 54 contests, respectively.
This past year, Wade had an incredibly impressive plus-10.4 net rating, so, clearly, he has a very positive impact when he is on the floor.
Wade averaged 5.4 points and four rebounds over 20.5 minutes per game in 2023-24, shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three-point range and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.
The 27-year-old is recovering from a knee injury he suffered in March that caused him to miss the last 19 games of the regular season.
Wade lays claim to career averages of 5.2 points and 3.4 boards a night on 43.3/37.1/71.4 shooting splits.