Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell sustained a nasal fracture at Houston on March 16 and missed the Cavaliers’ next game at Indiana on March 18. A medical procedure was performed this morning at Cleveland Clinic to realign the affected area. Mitchell will be reevaluated in approximately one week and his status will be updated as appropriate.
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Cavaliers sign Marcus Morris to 10-day contract
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Marcus Morris Sr. to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Morris Sr. (6-8, 235), who appeared in 37 games this season with the Philadelphia 76ers, was traded to San Antonio as part of a three-team deal on February 8th before being waived on February 29th. Over his 13-year NBA career, Morris Sr. has played in 820 games (509 starts) with Houston, Phoenix, Detroit, Boston, New York, L.A. Clippers and Philadelphia, owning career averages of 12.1 points (.435 FG%, .377 3FG%, .775 FT%) and 4.5 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per contest. Additionally, he has appeared in 67 career playoff games (45 starts) with averages of 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 30.1 minutes while also shooting .407 from the three-point line.
The veteran forward was drafted 14th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career at University of Kansas (2008-2011), where he was named the 2010–11 Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.
Cavaliers sign Pete Nance to Two-Way contract
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Pete Nance to a Two-Way contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Nance (6-11, 230) played in two games for the Cavaliers this season after signing a 10-day contract with the team on January 18. He has also appeared in 29 games (24 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.34 blocks in 31.5 minutes. He posted the first Charge triple double in over two years on January 10 at Indiana, finishing with 27 points, a career-high 12 assists and 10 rebounds in 40 minutes.
Per the Akron Beacon Journal, “I’m from right down the road, grew up a lifelong Cavs fan and so to be able to be in practice and just be around the team and be around these guys, obviously, it’s a dream come true,” Pete Nance said. “It’s something I’ve thought about my whole life, for sure, so it’s just a really awesome moment for me.”
Nance 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). Nance was also a member of the recent Cavaliers 2023 Summer League Championship team, appearing in all six games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes.
Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates added to 2024 Rising Stars competition
Cleveland Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates will replace injured NBA G League Ignite forward Ron Holland on Team Detlef in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars. The annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and air live at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States.
Bates, a 6-8 rookie, will play in Panini Rising Stars for the first time. He has appeared in 10 games with the Cavaliers, who selected him with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bates is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.7 minutes in 10 games with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ NBA G League affiliate. During NBA All-Star 2024, Bates will also compete in the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Holland will not participate in Panini Rising Stars or the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T because of a right thumb injury. In Rising Stars, the 6-8 Holland was to play for the team with three-time NBA All-Star and Indiana Pacers legend Detlef Schrempf as its honorary head coach. For the NBA G League Up Next Game, Holland will be replaced by Chicago Bulls Two-Way forward Adama Sanogo.
Cavaliers convert contract of Craig Porter Jr. to standard contract
The Cleveland Cavaliers have converted the contract of guard Craig Porter Jr. to a standard NBA contract.
Porter Jr. was subsequently assigned to the Cleveland Charge for tonight’s game at Grand Rapids.
Porter Jr. (6-2, 185) was originally signed by the Cavaliers on a Two-Way contract on July 7th after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Wichita State. This season, he has played in 32 games (five starts) for the Cavaliers and is averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists (6th among NBA rookies), 2.5 rebounds, 0.53 steals and 0.38 blocks, while shooting .509 from the field in 14.7 minutes per contest. Porter Jr., who was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2023 Summer League Championship team, has scored in double figures on nine occasions and handed out five or more assists eight times this season.
In a win over Denver on Nov. 19, Porter Jr. recorded a career-high 21 points on 7-10 (.700) shooting from the field, including a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 25 minutes off the bench. His 21 points were the most by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Matthew Dellavedova on March 26, 2014 at Detroit (21 PTS). Against New Orleans on Dec. 21, Porter Jr. dished out a career-high 11 assists, which were the most assists by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Dellavedova (4/9/14 vs DET). He also recorded the most rebounds ever by a Cavaliers undrafted rookie with 12 boards during a win at Dallas on Dec. 27.
Cavaliers reach buyout agreement with Ricky Rubio
The Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday reached a buyout agreement with guard Ricky Rubio, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced.
Rubio has been away from the team since the start of the 2023-24 season.
“Ricky Rubio embodied everything a franchise would want from such an accomplished player, who helped instill a confidence and leadership quality that still resonates within our team,” said Altman. “When you measure his impact, particularly during the 2021-22 season, Ricky was instrumental in our 22-win improvement that year. His willingness to mentor our younger players speaks to the gravity of his tenure in Cleveland and the success we are having with this current Cavaliers group. We wish Ricky nothing but the best and remain supportive of his decision to continue focusing on his mental health.”
Rubio (6-3, 190) has appeared in 698 games (603 starts) with Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland, holding career averages of 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.76 steals in 29.6 minutes. He currently has the 10th-most assists among active NBA players (5,160) and has also averaged more than 6.0 assists and at least 1.30 steals in 10 of his 12 NBA seasons. Originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the fifth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, the 12-year NBA veteran was a 2012 NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. He has also made three playoff appearances with Utah in 2018 and 2019 as well as Cleveland in 2023, appearing in 14 career postseason games (11 starts) and averaging 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.50 steals in 26.1 minutes. A longtime member of the Spanish National Team, Rubio has played in three Olympics (2020, 2016, 2008), winning silver 2008 and bronze in 2016. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he scored 38 points against the United States, breaking the record for most points scored against USA during Olympic competition. He also led Spain to a gold medal in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
In two seasons with the Cavaliers (2021-22, 2022-23), Rubio appeared in 67 games (10 starts) with averages of 9.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 22.9 minutes. During the 2021-22, his best in Cleveland, Rubio appeared in 34 games (eight starts) with a career-high tying average of 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.44 steals in 28.5 minutes, before missing the final 48 games with a season-ending ACL tear. Prior to the injury, Rubio became one of 12 active NBA players to record 5,000 career assists. He also recorded a career-high 37 points, shooting 8-9 (.889) from the three-point line, 10 assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench on Nov. 7 at New York, becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 30 points, 10 assists and eight three-pointers in a game in a reserve role. He also became the first player in Cavs team history to make his first eight three-point attempts in a game.
Rubio was traded to Indiana on February 7, 2022, after his injury in a deal that brought Caris LeVert to Cleveland but did not appear in a game for the Pacers. He resigned with the Cavaliers as a free agent on July 7, 2022, and appeared in 33 games during the 2022-23 season, making his season debut on Jan. 12 at Portland, where he chipped in nine points and three rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench. It was his first game back since suffering the ACL injury on Dec. 28, 2021, at New Orleans.
Cleveland’s roster now stands at 16 players, including three Two-Way players.
Cavaliers injury updates on Darius Garland and Evan Mobley
The Cleveland Cavaliers released today status updates on the following players:
Cavaliers Guard Darius Garland sustained a fractured jaw during the third quarter of last night’s road game at Boston. A CT scan administered this morning at Cleveland Clinic confirmed the injury. Garland will have a procedure to heal the affected area and will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.
Cavaliers Forward/Center Evan Mobley will have arthroscopic left knee surgery at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health on Monday, December 18 to remove a loose body. Recent imaging and a series of treatment and rehabilitation confirmed that surgery was the best option to alleviate the discomfort in the knee. Mobley has missed the Cavaliers previous four games and is expected to be out approximately six to eight weeks.
Cavaliers exercise 4th-year contract option on Evan Mobley
The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the fourth-year (2024-25) contract option on Evan Mobley, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Mobley (7-0, 215), played in a team-best 79 games (all starts) last season and averaged career highs in points (16.2), rebounds (9.0), assists (2.8), minutes (34.4) and field goal percentage (.554, 17th-best in NBA), to go along with 1.51 blocks (ninth-best in NBA) and 0.76 steals. Mobley was also named to the 2022-23 NBA All-Defensive First Team, ranking first in the league in defensive win shares (4.8), tied for first in contested three-pointers per game (3.6) and fourth in the NBA in total contested shots per game (11.4). Additionally, he recorded at least one block in 59 games (fourth-most in NBA) and his 119 total blocks were the sixth-most in the NBA. Mobley also helped the Cavaliers rank No. 1 in defensive rating (109.9) and No. 1 in opponent points per game (106.9). He finished third in the NBA in Defensive Player of the Year voting and became the seventh player in Cavaliers history to earn Defensive Team honors joining Jim Brewer, Jim Cleamons, Larry Nance Sr., Bobby Phills, LeBron James and Anderson Varejao. Mobley also registered a career-high 24 double-doubles and was one of only three NBA players this past season averaging at least 15.0 points on .500 shooting or better, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks (Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis). The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers and a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection following the 2021-22 season, Mobley owns career averages of 15.6 points on .533 shooting from the field, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.58 blocks in 34.1 minutes over 148 games (all starts) in two NBA seasons with Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell holding off on signing contract extension with Cavs
Per Cleveland.com:
The deadline is still weeks away. But the decision has already been made.
Cavs star guard Donovan Mitchell, the perennial MVP candidate whose arrival heightened the organization’s expectations last summer, will not sign a contract extension before the season opener on Oct. 25 — and he has let the front office know that.
“I still have the opportunity to sign an extension next summer,” Mitchell said during the team’s annual media day on Monday afternoon. “My primary focus is this. Just trying to go out there and trying to be the best team we can be and bring a championship to the city and go from there. We added new additions. We obviously had a season that you could kind of rate went really well until it went really poorly. So, for us, that’s where all of our heads are at. That’s where my head is at.”
Cavaliers sign Sharife Cooper, Pete Nance and Justin Powell
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.