Undrafted free agent Kenny Kadji has agreed to sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Cavaliers and will be in camp with the club, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. According to Charania, Kadji turned down several "substantial" offers from overseas in favor of trying to earn a regular-season roster spot with the Cavs.
Kadji, 25, played his senior year at Miami in 2012/13, averaging 12.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 36 games with the team. The power forward worked out for the Lakers, Jazz, and Knicks in the weeks leading up to the 2013 draft, and was ranked as the 68th-best prospect in his class by ESPN.com's Chad Ford, but didn't hear his named called on draft night.
By our count, the Cavs have 14 players currently on their roster, and not all of those contracts are guaranteed, so there could be an opening for Kadji to earn a roster spot with a strong camp. The Miami product also played for Cleveland's Summer League squad in Las Vegas last month.
That’s good news. I hope he makes the team.
He’s already 25? That alone makes me hesitant about giving him a roster spot.
Why? What is the problem with being 25? It is not as if we are looking at him as a rotation player, but rather an end of the bench player. Average end of the bench players in the NBA typically have one skill, be it rebounding or 3pt accuracy or shot blocking.
Kadji has above average shot blocking skills and having him as one of the last guys on the bench intrigues me more than filling out the roster with an NBA retread. Also, being on a non-guaranteed contract leaves the front office with the flexibility they desire if he were to make the team.
The guy played his whole college career… I know that’s rare now a days but serously come on now…