The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Sharife Cooper, forward Pete Nance and guard Justin Powell, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today.
The signings are likely non-guaranteed deals, to bring the players to Cavs training camp.
Cooper (6-1, 180) appeared in 25 games (all starts) last season with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 21.3 points, 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 0.84 steals in 32.4 minutes. He was named All-NBA G League Second Team and was also selected to the 2023 NBA G League Next Up Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. During the 2023 Summer League in Las Vegas, he appeared in four games (all starts) for the Cavaliers, averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 21.5 minutes while helping the Cavaliers win their first Summer League Championship. Cooper was drafted 48th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks after one collegiate season at Auburn (2020-21).
Nance (6-11, 230) went undrafted after one season at University of North Carolina (2022-23) and four seasons at Northwestern University (2018-22), averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.3 minutes in 137 games (104 starts) during his collegiate career. Last season at UNC, the Akron-born native started all 30 games and averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.13 blocks in 30.0 minutes, while leading the team in blocks (34), finishing second in free throw percentage (.816) and ranking third in three-pointers made (32). A member of the Cavaliers 2023 Summer League Championship team, Nance appeared in all six games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes.
Powell (6-6, 197) went undrafted after playing three seasons collegiately at Auburn, Tennessee, and Washington State, with career averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 25.0 minutes. Last season at Washington State, Powell appeared in a career-best 34 games (all starts), averaging 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.8 minutes. He also appeared in two games for the Miami Heat at the 2023 Summer League in Las Vegas and one game at the California Classic in Sacramento.
