Dean Wade (ankle) questionable vs. New York

Wade has been managing an ankle injury that will keep him out of the lineup for the season opener. Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker may be tasked with playing extra minutes off the bench, but neither will play a significant role.

After spraining his left ankle in Friday’s preseason finale against the Celtics, Wade did not practice on Sunday. He missed team segments of practice on Monday, but the 76ers forward did some individual work. If Wade can’t play, Jabari Walker may get rotation minutes off the bench in Tuesday’s opener against the Knicks.

Wade rolled his left ankle in Friday’s preseason finale against the Celtics, while Barlow is dealing with back soreness. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said after Friday’s game that Wade’s ankle injury wasn’t a major concern, which could bode well for his availability Tuesday night. Neither Wade nor Barlow is in a position to be players who absolutely need to be rostered in fantasy leagues. However, Philadelphia’s injury-riddled frontcourt frees up minutes at the forward spots.

The 76ers will open their preseason without multiple key players, including Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. With those expected starters unavailable, KCP, Wade and Hukporti will start. The latter may be the one to watch, as he’ll be competing with the currently injured Adem Bona for the right to back up Embiid. There isn’t much to gain from drafting Hukporti in most leagues, but Embiid’s injury history makes it possible that the former Knick will be a relevant streamer at some point during the regular season.

Wade was a solid contributor for the Cavaliers last season, a perimeter threat who could also defend at the forward spot. He spent all seven of his NBA seasons with Cleveland but will now depart to Philadelphia and likely play a similar role. Wade averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on 43.9/36.2/71.1 shooting splits last season.

Harden, who helped the Cavaliers reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season, would have earned a base salary of $42.3 million had he opted into the final season of his contract. However, the decision to opt out and negotiate a new deal with the Cavaliers is likely to benefit both parties. While Harden would get additional security in the form of more years, Cleveland may be able to give him a lower annual salary. With the team hopeful to retain pending free agent Dean Wade while also lowering its payroll, every little bit helps.

Strus has not been in the starting lineup for this series, with Dean Wade (two rebounds, one assist and one steal) receiving the first shot at defending New York’s Jalen Brunson. However, it’s fair to question if Cavaliers’ head coach Kenny Atkinson will consider a lineup change going into Monday’s must-win Game 4. Strus, who logged 31 minutes to Wade’s 17, is a greater threat offensively while being able to harass Brunson defensively. The Knicks’ star still scored 30 points in Game 3, but Cleveland not getting any offensive production from Wade was also problematic. Cleveland needs a win on Monday to extend its season and send the series back to New York for a Game 5.

The Cavaliers have changed their starting lineup for Game 7, with Strus replacing Dean Wade. Strus offers a higher offensive ceiling, and he can also take on the task of defending Cade Cunningham. The other four starters are unchanged.

The rumblings that Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was considering a change to his starting lineup have been proven true. Strus, who was a starter for most of last season, moves into the starting five for Wednesday’s game, with Dean Wade heading to the bench. The other four starters are unchanged.

The Cavaliers will be without most of their rotation players for Sunday’s regular-season finale, as their playoff seeding is locked in. The absences in the frontcourt free up opportunities for Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who should have the ultimate green light on Sunday.