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Southeast Notes: Gafford, Bagley, Murray, Wagner, Okeke

January 19th, 2024 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards starting center Daniel Gafford entered the NBA’s concussion protocol this week following a head-on-head collision with Isaiah Stewart on Monday and was unavailable for Thursday’s contest vs. New York, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Having traded Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari to Detroit, the Wizards had limited options up front with Gafford out. As Alex Schiffer of The Washington Post observes, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. could have opted to go small by starting Bilal Coulibaly or Patrick Baldwin, who had played well as of late, writes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.

Instead, newly acquired big man Marvin Bagley III was immediately thrust into the starting lineup at the five and played a team-high 39 minutes in a competitive loss to the Knicks. Bagley impressed in his Wizards debut, racking up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. He was also a plus-two in a game that Washington lost by four points.

“That’s a heck of a start for him,” Unseld said, per Schiffer. “Played a well-balanced game, offense and defensively. Even things that happened on the fly I thought the group in general helped talk him through situations to keep him organized. That’s growth for us.”

The other player the Wizards acquired from the Pistons, Isaiah Livers, didn’t see the court in his first game with his new team. Livers will have to work his way into the rotation, according to Unseld, who said he expects opportunities to come for the third-year wing.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Within a look at the team’s potential approach to the trade deadline, Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks to an NBA scout who says the Hawks will likely have to accept the idea of getting less for Dejounte Murray than what they gave up for him in 2022. “The Trae (Young) and Dejounte backcourt has not worked,” the scout said. “And I don’t think they’re going to get what they gave up for him, which puts them in a tough spot. They have to swallow their pride a little bit and take a loss, I think, to move forward.”
Zach Kram of The Ringer takes a closer look at Murray’s trade value, noting that various defensive metrics all suggest that the Hawks guard has taken a noticeable step back on that end of the court within the past year or two.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said he expects forward Franz Wagner (right ankle sprain) to be back “sooner than later,” adding that Wagner should resume full-contact work “pretty soon” (Twitter links via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Wagner will miss his eighth consecutive game on Friday vs. Philadelphia.
Fourth-year Magic forward Chuma Okeke has been out of the rotation for much of the season, but he has started the past seven games with Wagner and wing Gary Harris sidelined. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel, Okeke has earned praise from his teammates for how he’s adjusted to the increase in his playing time and especially for his performance on defense. “It’s not easy going from not playing to playing and then guarding most of the better players on the court, especially one-on-one,” Caleb Houstan said.

Southwest Notes: Whitmore, Sengun, Jackson, Grizzlies, Kleber

January 18th, 2024 at 10:39pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore took a patient approach to entering Houston’s rotation but was eager to be on the court and show what he could do, writes The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. The 20th overall pick in the 2023 draft said it was a challenge to bounce between the Rockets and their G League affiliate.

“It’s a struggle because I love the game of basketball and I want to play basketball,” Whitmore added. “At the end of the day, just be patient. That’s really it.”

Whitmore’s patience paid off in an eight-game stretch from Jan. 3-15 in which he played 20.1 minutes a night and averaged 12.5 points while shooting 38.2% from deep. Whitmore credited the G League with helping him get up to speed on the offensive side of the ball, writes Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen.

At 6’7″ and 235 pounds, Whitmore has the tools to be an effective defensive player, Feigen writes, but he knows that’s an area of the game he has to work on.

“My awareness on defense,” Whitmore said when asked what he needs to improve. “That’s really it. Being locked in on the defensive side of the ball. Once I get that down pat, everything else will fall into place. That’s the main thing; awareness on the defensive end off ball.”

After playing in 23 minutes and scoring 14 points on Jan. 15 against the Sixers, Whitmore played just under nine minutes in the following game against the Knicks.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was an assistant coach on the Sixers from 2019-20, working closely with superstar Joel Embiid, writes Feigen. Udoka sees some similarities between Embiid and Houston center Alperen Sengun. “It’s rare in this day and age with actual low-post scorers. These are two of the best in the game right now,” Udoka said. “With Alperen, I’m imparting some of the same wisdom, things I talked to Joel about, which is professionalism, the approach. When you’ve had that losing early on, breaking those bad habits is something I’m constantly on him about. Skill level and talent, he wants to be coached hard and wants to be held accountable.“
The Grizzlies — marred with injuries to stars and starters — defeated the Warriors in Draymond Green‘s return on Monday behind contributions from several young players. Vince Williams Jr., who was recently converted to a standard contract, led the team in scoring with 24 points. Two-way player GG Jackson scored a career-high 23 points, his second straight game with 20 or more points. At 19 years old, he became the second youngest player in NBA history to record 20+ points in back-to-back games (Twitter link via NBA). “Big win for the Grizzlies, and definitely got to shout out big win for the [Memphis] Hustle as well,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said via AP’s Clay Bailey. “This is a product of full-on development.“
The Mavericks got Maxi Kleber back from a toe injury on Saturday, his first game action since Dec. 8. His workload has increased in each game since his return. Kleber spoke more about the injury with Mavs.com’s Eddie Sefko. “It felt good. I just got to get used to it, get my rhythm back, get my wind back,” Kleber said after Dallas’ Saturday game against the Pelicans. “But overall I’m just happy. It held together in limited minutes. The second half was a little rougher just because it was sore from the first half. But overall, a good day.“

Scotto’s Latest: Pacers, Mavericks, Grant, Kuzma, More

January 18th, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Rival executives applauded the Pacers for being able to land star Pascal Siakam without moving Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard or Obi Toppin — or including the expiring deal of Buddy Hield — HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto details in a trade deadline intel piece.

But the Pacers now have a logjam at the power forward position, with Jalen Smith, Toppin and Walker all playing behind Siakam. On top of that, there’s still a belief Hield could be moved to create playing time for Mathurin, Nembhard and Sheppard, Scotto writes. As a result, rival executives think Indiana are a candidate to make another trade before the deadline.

We have more from Scotto’s latest roundup:

The Mavericks are scouring the market to see if there are any available power forward upgrades, Scotto writes. According to Scotto, Dallas tried acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic last year and had their eye on Siakam before he was moved. Dallas has kept tabs on Portland forward Jerami Grant, Scotto writes, and could potentially look into Washington forward Kyle Kuzma. While Dereck Lively has drawn trade interest from other teams, Dallas told teams he’s not available for trade.
As noted earlier on Thursday, the Trail Blazers are signaling to opposing teams that they won’t easily part with Grant before the deadline. Portland values what Grant brings to the table in the locker room and on the court and some executives are pondering whether he could be the missing piece to a championship team like Aaron Gordon was, according to Scotto. Executives thus believe Malcolm Brogdon is the likelier of the two to be dealt, with a fair price expected to be a first-round pick and salary filler, Scotto writes.
For what it’s worth, both Portland and Brogdon appear to enjoy their partnership, Scotto explains. “At times, it’s been tough, but there’s something very gratifying about coming to a team where your voice and leadership is really valued and you play a different role,” Brogdon said. Meanwhile, head coach Chauncey Billups said Brogdon is one of the team’s leaders, and that he loves having him in Portland, but acknowledged the difficult transition for Brogdon going from a contender to mentor on a rebuilding team. “He’s in a tough spot here,” Billups said. “He’s coming off the bench, and sometimes he doesn’t have the ball in his hands.“
Rival teams are monitoring the Wizards, and Kuzma is drawing exploratory interest. Scotto writes the Wizards hold Kuzma in a high regard after he chose to re-sign with them over offers from the Kings and Rockets, and they’d seek at least two future first-round picks beyond the 2024 draft in exchange for their leading scorer. Kuzma is viewed as a positive asset partially due to his descending contract. Meanwhile, Washington would desire a first-round pick in exchange for Tyus Jones, but they hope to re-sign the 27-year-old point guard in free agency this year, according to Scotto. Washington is also aiming to use their trade exceptions — such as the $12.35MM exception from the Kristaps Porzingis trade — to acquire picks and young players in salary dumps from other teams.
The Pelicans traded Kira Lewis to duck under the luxury tax this year, and rival executives are pondering whether New Orleans will move another player to do so again next year, Scotto writes. Jonas Valanciunas, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy are among players rival teams could monitor, with some facing free agency or potential extensions.
The Knicks are gauging the value of a package consisting of Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes and draft capital to look for potential upgrades, Scotto writes. Echoing a report from Marc Stein, Scotto writes the Knicks are eyeing Brogdon, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier and Detroit’s Alec Burks. New York is also in the market for a backup power forward. Additionally, rivals are expecting OG Anunoby to re-up with the Knicks in free agency.

Lakers Notes: Irving, LeBron, Russell, Reaves, Lineup

January 18th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving had interest in reuniting with LeBron James in either Dallas or Los Angeles over the offseason, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Irving said as much to James before the Lakers‘ first-round Game 6 against the Grizzlies last year.

As detailed by Shelburne, the Lakers had internal discussions about whether to pursue Irving via trade or free agency last year and had called the Nets several times since June 2022, when Irving and the Nets didn’t come to terms on a contract extension. James was open to the idea of pairing up again with Irving, but didn’t want to push anything while the franchise was still recovering from the Russell Westbrook experiment, Shelburne writes.

The Mavericks held Irving’s Bird Rights and were determined to keep him and Luka Doncic together, re-signing him to a three-year, $126MM deal. After bringing back Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura and signing the likes of Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish, there was internal debate about whether or not the Lakers had the speed to keep up with the top guards of the Western Conference, but they decided it wasn’t a concern to address at the time, according to Shelburne.

Flash forward several months and Irving has avoided any off-court incidents that plagued him in Brooklyn while James and Anthony Davis are enjoying a healthy season at the top of their game. However, the Lakers lack consistent point guard play. The Mavericks sit at 24-18 and seventh in the west entering Thursday while the Lakers are 21-21, and 10th in the standings.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Lakers have roster questions to sort out to help alleviate some of the burden for James and Davis moving forward, Shelburne writes.

“It’s just too much on Bron right now,” one rival player whose team recently defeated the Lakers said. “Everyone is just going to pack the paint and try to frustrate him because they need a lot. Speed. Play-making. Shooting.”

We have more from the Lakers:

The Lakers recently turned back to their opening-night starting five for the foreseeable future after coach Darvin Ham experimented with lineups through the first half of the season. That means Reaves and D’Angelo Russell are once again starting next to each other, and the team is hoping that duo can be a catalyst for future success, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register writes. While Reaves and Russell have complementary skill sets, Price writes the defense needs some cleaning up if the Lakers want to start stacking wins.
That lineup is helping the Lakers reach a new offensive ceiling, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. After beating the Mavericks on Wednesday, Los Angeles has won four of its last six games after dropping 10 of its previous 13. Buha writes the ball movement and aggression were elements of L.A.’s offense that stood out in that game. The Lakers also boast an improved offensive rating since making the switch back to their original starting five. “We’re just moving the basketball,” Davis said. “Trying to play the right way. When we share the basketball, good things tend to happen.“
When asked if his team needs to make trades before the deadline, James said he doesn’t “play fantasy basketball,” tweets ESPN’s David McMenamin. “It’s too disrespectful to think about what we need or what we don’t have,” James said. “I don’t do that to my teammates. We’ve been putting in the work and that’s what we’ve got to continue to do.“

Christian Koloko Facing Career-Threatening Blood Clot Issue

January 18th, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Former Raptors center Christian Koloko has a blood clot issue that is threatening his basketball career, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

According to Charania, the NBA told teams today that Koloko was referred to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, which means he is unable to play or practice in the league until he is cleared.

Koloko was waived by the Raptors yesterday following the Pascal Siakam trade and Charania says there is no shortage of teams who were interested in acquiring him before learning of this development.

The NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel helps deal with and determine options for players with potentially life-threatening injuries or conditions.

Koloko had a promising rookie season in 2022/23 after being selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri spoke highly of Koloko on Thursday and said he saw the former Arizona center as part of Toronto’s future.

Recurring issues with blood clots forced former NBA players like Chris Bosh and Mirza Teletovic into early retirement in the past. Other players – including Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram – have been able to resume their careers following a single occurrence of a blood clot.

Our best wishes go out to Koloko and we hope he is able to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilling life and career.

Stein’s Latest: Raptors, Siakam Trade, Brown, Knicks Targets, More

January 18th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors don’t regret not moving Fred VanVleet last trade deadline before he departed that summer in free agency, Marc Stein details in his latest Substack post. Raptors president Masai Ujiri conveyed a similar sentiment earlier on Thursday. As Stein writes, the offers for VanVleet were lackluster and Toronto brass preferred to give the core of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and VanVleet one more shot at it, adding Jakob Poeltl to the equation.

Stein suggests that the Raptors could have traded VanVleet to the Clippers last year in exchange for Luke Kennard and modest draft capital, but instead opted to run it back with their team. However, VanVleet leaving Toronto in the offseason for Houston had an impact on their willingness to trade Siakam and Anunoby this season, according to Stein.

Though there’s an outside perception the Raptors could have gotten more for Siakam had they traded him earlier, Toronto is pleased with the package it received from the Pacers, according to Stein. As Stein explains, the Hawks offered De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and a first-round pick over the summer, but the Raptors feel Indiana’s offer was better, even without Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Smith, all of whom Toronto coveted. I recommend checking out the article in full if you are subscribed to Stein’s Substack page.

There are more notes from Marc Stein:

There’s a growing belief leaguewide that the Raptors will move recently acquired Bruce Brown in another trade. The Knicks have Evan Fournier‘s $18.9MM salary to help match Brown’s $22MM, Stein observes. An earlier report Thursday indicated Quentin Grimes ($2.4MM in 2023/24) was on the trade block, so perhaps the Knicks kick the tires on packaging Fournier and Grimes together for Brown. We wrote more on New York’s interest in Brown here. The Nuggets would undoubtedly be interested in Brown after he helped lift the franchise to their first NBA title in 2022/23, but they lack feasible ways of acquiring him, Stein adds.
Stein expresses skepticism that Brown is the type of scoring guard New York wants to bring in after moving away from Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks have “a level of interest” in Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Detroit’s Alec Burks and Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon, he adds.
Rival teams hold the belief that Siakam is a “lock” to re-sign with the Pacers after his current contract expires this summer, Stein writes. The Pacers can only offer Siakam a two-year, $81.5MM extension during the season, but they acquired his Bird rights in the trade, which was a motivating factor in getting him now. Acquiring Siakam’s Bird rights allows the Pacers to go over the salary cap to keep him giving them increased flexibility this summer.
After Siakam was traded, attention on the trade market turned to the Hawks‘ Dejounte Murray, according to Stein, who says the going price for Murray starts at two first-round picks. We took a look earlier today at Murray’s market.

Latest On Dejounte Murray

January 18th, 2024 at 4:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has reportedly drawn plenty of trade interest this season, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski previously stated he believes there’s a very good chance the former All-Star will be moved prior to the February 8 deadline.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype evaluates the teams that have been linked to Murray and offers new intel on the 27-year-old’s market. For example, league sources tell Scotto that in a potential Murray deal, in addition to acquiring draft and player assets, Atlanta does not want to take on salary beyond the 2023/24 season.

A Lakers deal for Murray would likely include D’Angelo Russell, according to Scotto’s sources, but the Hawks aren’t interested in Russell — they’d have to be able to flip him to a third team in that scenario. As Scotto explains, Russell has a $18.9MM player option for 2024/25 and isn’t viewed as a viable fit alongside another offense-first guard in Trae Young.

The Hawks did inquire about Austin Reaves in talks with L.A., but Scotto confirms the Lakers shot down that idea. Reaves is in the first season of a four-year contract — it’s unclear if Atlanta would want to keep the 25-year-old guard or potentially flip him as well.

As first reported by Scotto, the Knicks have looked into Murray. However, due to their strong play of late after acquiring OG Anunoby, Scotto hears New York doesn’t want to meet Atlanta’s asking price. The Nets also haven’t been inclined to offer a minimum of two first-round picks for Murray, per Scotto.

For various reasons, the Sixers, Pistons and Heat — three other teams linked to Murray — aren’t viewed as great fits, Scotto writes. It’s unclear what the Spurs are thinking this early in their rebuild, but Murray did say on Monday that he would welcome the opportunity to play for his former team and coach.

Pacers Notes: Siakam, Haliburton, Turner, Hard Cap

January 18th, 2024 at 2:37pm CST by Rory Maher

If Pascal Siakam was going to be traded by the Raptors, his preference was to land with the Pacers, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. After Wednesday’s trade saw that come to fruition, it became clear the feeling was mutual, with both sides showing enthusiasm about the chances of the two-time All-Star re-signing with Indiana on a long-term contract this summer.

A small-market team like the Pacers doesn’t typically attract star-level talent like the 29-year-old forward. However, as Amick details, Siakam never forgot that Pacers GM Chad Buchanan — then with the Hornets — told Siakam’s camp that he was being considered for Charlotte’s first-round pick in 2016. Charlotte ended up trading its pick in that draft, while the only other team that showed first round interest — Toronto — selected Siakam 27th overall.

Siakam also learned that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle voted for him as an All-Star reserve last season; he ultimately made the team as an injury replacement. And, perhaps most importantly, Siakam wanted to play with point guard Tyrese Haliburton, one of the top young players in the NBA. Haliburton eagerly signed off on the deal, Amick adds.

Siakam has also long been a fan of Myles Turner, sources tell Amick. Siakam believes Turner’s rim protection on defense and ability to space the floor on offense will complement his game.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

In addition to being respected by the team, Siakam is also familiar with the state of Indiana because his older brother Christian played for IUPUI from 2007-12, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
Siakam arrived in Indiana on Thursday for his physical and expressed his excitement about the trade, the team announced (via Twitter).
In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Todd Ramasar — Siakam’s agent — said he views Indiana as a “perfect fit” for his client, and he could see Siakam with the Pacers long term. “There is that through line where everything is about ‘team’ and ‘winning,'” Ramasar said of the Pacers. “In winning, it’s also about having humility and competitiveness. Those are all the right attributes that you want in an organization down to the individuals that leads to something special in the future.”
According to Agness’ sources (Twitter link), Haliburton is ahead of schedule on his return from a hamstring injury, which is why he was listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest vs. Sacramento (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). However, Carlisle said on Thursday that Haliburton isn’t quite ready to return yet, and he will miss his fifth straight game tonight, tweets Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
The Pacers are now hard-capped at the first tax apron following Wednesday’s trade for Siakam, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The reason for that is Indiana exceeded the 110% salary-matching threshold, which triggers a hard cap in the new CBA. Over half the NBA’s teams now face hard caps, though it won’t be an impediment for many of them, including Indiana, whose team salary is far below the first apron.

Raptors’ Ujiri: More Trades “Definitely” Possible

January 18th, 2024 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have made a pair of blockbuster trades in the past few weeks, dealing away longtime veteran forwards OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam for packages centered on young players and draft picks, respectively. They also acquired a valuable role player in swingman Bruce Brown, who is on a pseudo-expiring $22MM contract (2024/25 is a team option for $23MM).

Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Raptors vice chairman and president Masai Ujiri said more trades are “definitely” a possibility ahead of the February 8 deadline, as Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca relays (via Twitter). In particular, Ujiri highlighted shooting and flexibility as areas of emphasis, Murphy adds.

In a Twitter thread, Murphy passes along several noteworthy comments from Ujiri’s press conference addressing the trades, his close relationship with Siakam, the team’s plans for the future, and much more.

According to Murphy, Ujiri was “clearly quite emotional” when discussing the moves, which he called “incredibly difficult.”

“These things happen but that one is close to me,” he said. “I hate to go on this little rant, but what I think of the world globally, and what these guys represent, and where I come from, where they come from, it’s meant a lot to me. … Trust me, we’ve analyzed this in every single way.”

“Two African guys that won a championship, I share that with him,” Ujiri said of Siakam (Twitter video link via The Shift). “ … Again, I say to you guys, that guy’s success is my success no matter where he is.”

Ujiri wanted to give the previous roster as much time as it could, but it was trending in the wrong direction. He also cited free agency — both Anunoby and Siakam can be unrestricted free agents this summer — and a desire to get younger around Scottie Barnes as key factors in the moves, per Murphy.

Here’s more from Ujiri’s lengthy press conference:

Ujiri had nothing but praise for how Siakam carried himself and performed over the past year while dealing with trade rumors, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “He handled it perfectly,” Ujiri said of Siakam. “I give him 100 out of 100. It has to be difficult, and I said that to him. … Nothing stopped him from coming to work everyday and trying to be the best he could be while he performed. We truly respect that.” However, Ujiri says he regrets how he handled things on his end during the offseason, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter). “I think the lines of communication in the summer were not that great. That part I’m not particularly proud of,” Ujiri said, adding that he apologized to Siakam.
When asked if he regretted not making more trades last season, Ujiri said he didn’t, citing a desire to give the 2022/23 team more chances to succeed. He also doesn’t second-guess himself about last year’s trade for Jakob Poeltl. “When you trade a first-round pick for a starting center in the NBA, in our business and for us, it’s good — for now and for the future,” Ujiri said, per Lewenberg (Twitter link). “I’m not going to sit here and cry over spilled milk. If it was a mistake, it was a mistake, but it was good value for us.”
Regarding Christian Koloko, whom the Raptors waived to create roster space for the latest deal, Ujiri said his medical status was in the hands of the NBA. Koloko has yet to play this season due to a respiratory issue. “We’ve exhausted all our options there,” Ujiri said (Twitter link via Murphy) “I can’t comment on particulars. It’s really unfortunate. … He was someone we really believed in. Incredible talent. We saw as the future of this team.“
The Raptors could have four picks in the 2024 draft, depending on what happens with their own first-rounder (it will be sent to San Antonio as part of the Poeltl deal if it lands outside the top six). They acquired the Pistons’ second-round pick in the Anunoby deal, plus two more 2024 first-rounders from Indiana that are projected to be in the latter portion of what’s considered a weak draft class. Ujiri “strongly doubts” that the Raptors will actually keep all of those picks, tweets Murphy.

Cavaliers Sign Pete Nance To 10-Day Contract

January 18th, 2024 at 11:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

January 18: Nance’s 10-day deal is now official, per the Cavaliers.

January 16: The Cavaliers are signing big man Pete Nance to a 10-day contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Cleveland is essentially rewarding a player already in its organization. Nance has averaged 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season for the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

Nance went undrafted last year after spending four years at Northwestern and another with North Carolina. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in September by the Cavs, then waived during training camp.

The Cavaliers needed to add another player to their 15-man roster after dropping to 13 players when they bought out Ricky Rubio, who announced his retirement earlier this month. NBA teams can’t carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than two weeks at a time, so the Cavs had a January 18 deadline to fill Rubio’s roster spot.

Nance is the son of former Cavs legend Larry Nance and the younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., who spent parts of four seasons with Cleveland.

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