November 06, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey can hold his head high as he makes his return to Cleveland on Friday.
CLEVELAND – June 23, 2026 became June 24, 2026 as new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey fielded questions. The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft had just come and gone, and after making his first draft choice as a lead executive, Gansey was getting set for his first free agency as a lead executive.
Before trading for Jaylen Brown a week later or signing LeBron James a month later, the Sixers' key decisions revolved around Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr., their top free-agents-to-be. Given their salary-cap standing, the Sixers could retain both players and stand pat, retain one and keep a bit of financial flexibility or let both go and try to adequately replace two key rotation fixtures with the $15 million non-taxpayer's mid-level exception.
"Obviously I wasn't here with Quentin, but I've heard a lot of great things and we've been in contact with his representation as well as Kelly's," Gansey said. "So, they're two guys we'll hopefully bring back. But you never know with free agency."
Exactly one week later, Gansey was on the phone with a player he helped unearth during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers: Dean Wade, one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA, a master of the little things capable of replacing Oubre. As Grimes worked to complete a four-year, $60 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Oubre was finalizing a two-year, $16.5 million contract with the Indiana Pacers. Gansey clearly did not have either player in his plans.
Gansey was already securing a four-year deal with Wade. The veteran wing can earn up to $38.7 million, with $30 million guaranteed. Wade credits Gansey as one of the key figures in his emergence from second-round afterthought to respected role player and was compelled by the idea of following Gansey to his first stop as a lead executive.
"Mike called me, called my agency a bunch of times. Just being comfortable with Mike and having that relationship was good," Wade told PhillyVoice last week, ahead of his return to Cleveland on Friday. "...Coming from Cleveland, I didn't want to go anywhere that wasn't competing. Philly gave a great opportunity, and gave me a contract as well – that also always helps. But just having that comfortability of having Mike... Really, it was a good fit. I feel like I made the right decision."
MORE: Joel Embiid says he 'quits' three-point shooting amid woes
As he returns to the city he spent his first seven NBA seasons in, Wade is the most important reserve on the team with the best record in the NBA. He may not have a play called for him all season, and that is the point. Wade impacts winning while rarely touching the ball. The Sixers have felt it early; Wade has spent time guarding point guards and centers, has been impactful on the glass and even had a 10-assist game, doubling his previous career-high.
"He’s great. He’s great, man. He’s been great, though," Tyrese Maxey said. "He’s in the position where some nights he’ll start, some nights he won’t start, some nights he’ll play five, some nights he’ll guard Jalen Brunson, he’ll guard [Karl-Anthony Towns]. He’s – I love Dean Wade."
Screw it, Dean Wade mixtape 🎬 pic.twitter.com/cGJDt23iGw
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) November 1, 2026
With Wade secured and about $6 million remaining in the mid-level exception, the Sixers knew they needed to address three-point shooting, a major weakness in terms of both volume and efficiency the year prior. Grimes and Oubre were both firmly out of their price range. Perhaps surprisingly, a player with a stronger track record was not.
Sixers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jameer Nelson, the newly-minted second-in-command executive within the front office, called Anfernee Simons. So did Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. Nelson went the extra mile, phoning Simons' parents to pitch them on how the veteran sharpshooter could rehabilitate. Simons valued his strong fit on a roster that suddenly included Brown, his former teammate with the Boston Celtics last season.
The Sixers convinced Simons that, if he came to Philadelphia, he could play significant minutes off the bench and contribute to a team with meaningful aspirations. He has done just that, taking nearly all of Nurse's bench guard minutes despite the team drafting Labaron Philon Jr. in the first round.
The arrival of James, whose relationship with elite three-point shooters is well-documented, only made Simons all the more crucial. Wade, whose injury issues have been constant throughout his NBA career, has gone from a necessity every night to a luxury. His style also makes for a pristine fit with James.
In nine games with the Sixers, Simons has had five underwhelming performances. In the other four games, he has shot a combined 19-for-37 from beyond the arc. The Sixers won all four of those games down the stretch; those would have likely all been losses without Simons' heaters.
Anfernee Simons 20 PTS (7-11 FG, 6-10 3P), 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0 TO, team-high +14 vs. Pacers
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) October 29, 2026
He may be the key to the Sixers success pic.twitter.com/Vyy5aMUHW7
"He's got it," Nurse said. "He's a speed shooter. You can run him off a bunch of stuff and he doesn't need a lot of space. And that opens up a lot of other avenues offensively once you kind of get used to him."
For the price of Grimes – whose deal with the Lakers includes a player option in the final season – the Sixers have signed two players already proving to be better fits for this team than Grimes, a slower decision-maker and more volatile shooter. Oubre's start with Indiana has been a struggle, and his suspect three-point shooting would have made for an especially tough fit after the arrivals of Brown and James. Wade is far more impactful off the ball than either of the departed veterans; Simons is far more impactful on the ball.
| Category | Quentin Grimes | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Dean Wade | Anfernee Simons |
| 2026-27 salary | $13,953,489 | $8,050,000 | $9,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
| Minutes per game | 26.1 | 23.1 | 26.3 | 22.9 |
| Points per game | 8.2 | 9.4 | 4.1 | 10.0 |
| Three-point attempts per game | 2.9 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 6.2 |
| Three-point percentage | 23.1 | 25.9 | 38.5 | 39.3 |
| Estimated Plus Minus (percentile) | -1.6 (50th) | -1.2 (55th) | +0.8 (76th) | -1.3 (53rd) |
"Really coveted guys in the free agent class," Nurse said last week. "...Needed the shooting, needed another guard. Needed a four-man, a versatile four that can guard and rebound, shoring up a bunch of the things that needed shoring up. So really big. I've said this several times, but I'll say it again, is you need these guys because there's going to be enough games as the 82 click along when they become really prominent players as well with guys in and out of the lineup."
When the front office told Nurse about their potential free-agency targets, Nurse was immediately enthused by the idea of going after the pairing of Wade and Simons. "Get them," he recalled telling the team's brass.
"I mean, those are two guys that fit really – positionally, they were pieces that were much-needed," Nurse said. "They were at the top of the list in those areas for us."
