The Philadelphia 76ers used a portion of their midlevel exception to sign forward Dean Wade this offseason, a move rooted in Mike Gansey's prior relationship with the player from his time as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Rather than committing the full midlevel exception to a single player, Philadelphia elected to split it between Wade and guard Anfernee Simons. Gansey played a central role in recruiting Wade, whom he had known since Wade's time in Cleveland, and viewed him as a strong fit for Philadelphia's roster needs at wing defense.

The Sixers also valued Wade's ability to function as an offensive connector who does not require significant usage to be effective, a trait coach Nick Nurse highlighted during summer league.

"Dean doesn't need the ball to be effective, and every offense can use a guy like that," said Nurse. "He does a lot of dirty work. He defends and he's someone who can make a lot of reads off the primary playmakers."

Wade and his representatives chose Philadelphia over other suitors largely because Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson sold him on their vision for the organization and how they intended to build the roster. Wade and Gansey share a longstanding relationship dating back to Wade's early years in Cleveland, when he became one of Gansey's first notable evaluations as an executive.

By the time Wade was finalizing his decision, there was already a sense within league circles that Philadelphia's pursuit of Brown had become serious enough to be a legitimate possibility. The backdrop of a Brown trade factored into Wade's choice to sign with the Sixers over other options, given the potential for the roster to take a significant step forward.