The Cavaliers intend to create room on their roster to sign Dwyane Wade by waiving undrafted rookie JaCorey Williams, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
Williams’ tenure as a Cavalier was short-lived — the team just made his signing official on Tuesday. However, with a full 20-man roster and Wade set to clear waivers later today, Cleveland needed to make a move in order to create an opening for the future Hall-of-Famer.
A report on Tuesday night had indicated that Kendrick Perkins may be on the chopping block, but the veteran center remains on the Cavs’ roster for now. Still, more cuts will come soon.
Once they waive Williams and sign Wade, Cleveland will be back up to 20 players, including 16 on guaranteed contracts. By opening night, the club will have to get down to 15 players, which will mean trading or cutting one player on a guaranteed deal — or more than one, if the Cavs want to keep any of their non-guaranteed players, such as Perkins, Kay Felder, or Edy Tavares.
Williams, a 6’8″ forward, played his first three college seasons at Arkansas, but didn’t see much action for the Razorbacks, averaging just 11.9 minutes per game in 96 total contests for the program. After transferring to Middle Tennessee State for his senior year, he enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 17.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Williams, who was named the Conference USA Player of the Year for 2016/17, joined the Warriors for Summer League action in July before his brief stint with the Cavs. He’ll be on the lookout for a new team once he clears waivers.