Dean Wade to be Cavs’ second free agent priority after James Harden

The Cavaliers have some roster decisions to make this summer, and the order of operations is starting to take shape.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Cleveland’s first priority is working out a new deal with James Harden. Once that’s handled, president of basketball operations Koby Altman is expected to turn his attention to re-signing forward Dean Wade.

The catch is the Cavs may not be able to keep both Wade and guard Keon Ellis.

Cleveland finished last season as the only team over the second tax apron and is looking to get back under it this offseason. That financial reality could force another difficult choice, similar to last summer when the Cavs essentially had to pick between Sam Merrill and Ty Jerome.

This time, Wade appears to be the priority over Ellis. Fischer reports Wade could command a healthy portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which starts at $15 million next season and projects to be worth up to $64.7 million over four years.

That’s meaningful money for a player Cleveland developed from undrafted to a core rotation piece. Wade has earned it.

Ellis, meanwhile, saw his stock slip after not playing much for the Cavs in the postseason. That limited role makes it harder to justify the cap hit if Cleveland has to choose.

None of this gets sorted until Harden’s situation is resolved. If he opts out and re-signs, the Cavs know what they are working with. If things get complicated, all bets are off.

The Cavs have the pieces to contend again next season. Keeping the right supporting cast around Donovan Mitchell is the challenge.