Pete Nance Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Waive Pete Nance, Jules Bernard

October 19th, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Cavaliers waived forward Pete Nance and guard Jules Bernard, according to a team press release. Cleveland also formally announced the previously reported Zhaire Smith and Jacob Gilyard cuts.

Nance spent most of last season in the G League with the Cleveland Charge before signing a two-way contract with the team in February. He only played in eight NBA games with limited minutes, but he averaged 13.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 blocks while making 35.8% of his three-point attempts.

The five-year college player spent time at Northwestern before transferring to UNC for his final season. He then went undrafted in 2023. Nance, the younger brother of Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr., wasn’t kept on a two-way deal this season but is expected to once again suit up for Cleveland’s G League affiliate.

Like Nance, Bernard began his career in the G League. The UCLA product played four years collegiately before going undrafted in 2022. He suited up for Washington’s G League affiliate the past two seasons before agreeing to a two-way deal with the Wizards in December of last year.

Bernard played a bit at the NBA level, getting into 19 games and averaging 3.9 PPG. He played more in the G League, averaging 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 35.9% from three. The Wizards opted not to bring him back, leading to him catching on with the Cavs for training camp.

Both players are eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Cleveland’s G League team, the Charge.

The Cavaliers’ roster now stands at 17 players, with 14 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts.

Cavaliers Sign Jacob Gilyard, Zhaire Smith

September 25th, 2024 at 7:14am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 25: Gilyard and Smith have each officially signed with the Cavs, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Having cut Tomlin and Osabuohien on Tuesday, Cleveland is back up to 21 players under contract, with Nance’s deal now official too.

SEPTEMBER 24: Free agent guards Jacob Gilyard and Zhaire Smith are signing Exhibit 10 contracts with the Cavaliers, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

Gilyard, 26, spent last season on two-way deals with the Grizzlies and Nets, appearing in a total of 41 games for the two teams. The 5’9″ point guard held his own in a rotation role for Memphis, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 assists with a .425 3PT% in 17.7 minutes per game across 37 outings (14 starts).

However, two-way players can’t be active for more than 50 NBA games, so with Gilyard just about at that limit, the Grizzlies opted to waive him rather than promote him, putting him on track to finish the season in Brooklyn. He became an unrestricted free agent this summer after the Nets opted not to tender him a two-way qualifying offer.

As for Smith, the former No. 16 overall pick spent most of last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League, briefly earning an NBA call-up on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in February. In 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate, the 6’4″ guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest, posting an impressive shooting line of .539/.394/.836.

Since Cleveland controls Smith’s G League returning rights and recently acquired Gilyard’s rights in a trade with the Memphis Hustle, the plan will likely be for both players to report back to the Charge this fall. Their Exhibit 10 contracts will make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K as long as they spend at least 60 days with the Cavs’ G League team.

According to Fedor, before they’re waived, Gilyard and Smith will get the opportunity to attend training camp with the Cavs along with fellow invitees Pete Nance and Jules Bernard. A report on Monday indicated that those two players, along with Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Gabe Osabuohien, had agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with Cleveland. Fedor confirms that reporting, but says Tomlin and Osabuohien are expected to be waived before camp begins.

The Cavs’ deals with Bernard, Tomlin, and Osabuohien are now official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

The Cavs are already carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so they’ll be at the 21-man limit once their back-of-the-roster transactions are complete.

Cavs Adding Four Players To Fortify Camp Roster

September 23rd, 2024 at 8:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have agreed to training camp deals with Pete Nance, Jules Bernard, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Gabe Osabuohien, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Cleveland had 17 players, including two-way contracts, on its roster. If the Cavs don’t make any additional moves after finalizing these newly reported deals, they’ll have a full 21-man roster entering training camp.

Nance is a familiar name to Cavs fans. He finished last season on a two-way contract with Cleveland and also played on the Cavs’ Summer League team. The 24-year-old forward appeared in eight Cavs games last season.

Bernard, a 24-year-old guard, played 19 games for the Wizards last season on a two-way contract. The Cleveland Charge, the team’s NBA G League squad, recently acquired his returning rights.

Tomlin is an undrafted rookie forward out of Memphis. Osabuohien, another forward, has spent the last two seasons with the Charge.

Cavs Notes: Roster, Okoro, Bates, Nance, Travers

August 10th, 2024 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are still carrying just 10 players on standard guaranteed contracts for the 2024/25 season. However, the team doesn’t appear likely to make a series of roster additions before the regular season begins.

Craig Porter, who has a partially guaranteed salary, and Sam Merrill, who has a non-guaranteed deal, are penciled in as the 11th and 12th players on the 15-man regular season roster. And, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com explains, one of the other roster openings remains earmarked for restricted free agent Isaac Okoro. There hasn’t been any movement recently in negotiations with Okoro, per Fedor, with Cleveland having made its position clear to the forward’s camp.

If Okoro returns as the 13th man, the 14th spot on the roster would likely be reserved for a “cost-effective, playable, end-of-bench veteran,” according to Fedor, who suggests that the ideal target would be a player who could provide depth and locker room leadership, like Tristan Thompson did last season.

New Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, who is serving as an assistant for the French national team, is expected to meet with members of Cleveland’s front office after the Olympics to discuss what he’s looking for with that 14th roster spot, as well as possible targets, Fedor writes.

As for the 15th spot, the plan is to leave it open to begin the regular season in order to save some money and maximize the team’s roster flexibility, Fedor concludes.

Here’s more on the Cavs:

Cleveland doesn’t yet have any players signed to two-way contracts for the coming season, but Fedor expects Emoni Bates to return in one of those slots. A two-way qualifying offer remains on the table for Bates, making him a restricted free agent. Pete Nance, who finished last season on a two-way contract and played a significant role on the Cavs’ Summer League team, is another strong candidate for a two-way deal, Fedor adds.
When draft-and-stash prospect Luke Travers left Melbourne United to pursue other professional opportunities, he made that decision in conjunction with the Cavs, sources tell Cleveland.com. However, the plan for Travers remains up in the air — having him sign a two-way contract is the most logical outcome, but it isn’t a certainty yet, says Fedor.
As Fedor observes, as long as the Cavs are carrying just 14 players on their standard roster instead of 15, their two-way players are limited to 90 total games (instead of 50 apiece), meaning Travers could spend plenty of time in the G League with the Cleveland Charge if he comes stateside on a two-way deal. That might be fine with him, but Fedor suggests that a deal in Europe – where he’d presumably have a bigger role than he would in the NBA – is another option that may still be in play for the 22-year-old Australian wing. The Cavs could also trade Travers’ NBA rights, though there’s no indication they’re pursuing that path.

Cavaliers Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Deal

February 19th, 2024 at 3:50pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Pete Nance to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

An undrafted rookie who played four college seasons at Northwestern and a fifth at North Carolina, Nance made two brief appearances with the Cavs last month while on a 10-day contract. That deal expired on January 27, making Nance an unrestricted free agent.

Nance was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in September by the Cavs, then waived during training camp. He has spent the majority of 2023/24 with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate.

In 29 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Charge, he has averaged 13.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG and 1.5 BPG on .471/.353/.795 shooting.

The Cavs had an open two-way slot after promoting Craig Porter, so no further roster moves were necessary to sign Nance, who turned 24 years old today. 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.

Central Notes: Rivers, Bucks, Haliburton, Sheppard, Cavs

January 28th, 2024 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Saturday what compelled him to return to the NBA’s head coaching ranks less that one year after being let go by Philadelphia and just a few months after joining ESPN as an analyst, Doc Rivers pointed to the Bucks‘ two superstars as a primary motivating factor.

“You know the answer. Giannis (Antetokounmpo), Dame (Lillard). Really, that’s the answer,” Rivers said at an introductory news conference, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Like, you look at their team. What is it, eight teams that have a legitimate shot (at a championship)? And I don’t know if it’s that high, but the Bucks are one of them, right?

“The other thing is the way they’re built with the veterans and their grown-ups. I thought that if you’re going to jump into this at this time of the year, this would be a type of group that you have the best opportunity to connect and change the quickest.”

For their part, Antetokounmpo and Lillard expressed excitement on Saturday about Rivers’ arrival, with Giannis citing the veteran coach’s “great energy” and Dame noting that Rivers won’t be afraid to challenge the team.

“He’s a strong voice. He’s going to demand more from our team,” Lillard said. “He’s not going to be afraid to challenge myself, he’s not going to be afraid to challenge Giannis…all the way down the line. I think when you’re dealing with a team that’s full of vets and as talented as we are, I think that’s something that you need if you want to reach the level that we want to reach.”

Rivers is on track to make his Bucks coaching debut on Monday in Denver.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss a fifth straight game on Sunday due to his left hamstring injury, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. According to head coach Rick Carlisle, Haliburton will practice on Monday and will be considered day-to-day going forward.
After playing almost exclusively garbage-time minutes in the first half, Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard has averaged 18.4 minutes in the past seven games. While Sheppard’s numbers in his rotation role have been modest, his impressive hustle has served as a reminder of why Indiana liked him at No. 26 in last year’s draft, Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star.
Pete Nance‘s 10-day deal with the Cavaliers expired overnight on Saturday, so he’s no longer under contract with the team. Cleveland now has 13 players on standard contracts and will have up to two weeks to add a 14th man, whether that’s Nance on a second 10-day deal or someone else. If the Cavs take the full two weeks, they won’t be able to drop to 13 players for the rest of 2023/24, since teams can only carry fewer than 14 for up to 28 days in a season. The Cavs already used up 14 of those days after finalizing Ricky Rubio‘s buyout and before signing Nance.

Central Notes: Beasley, Siakam, Nance, Pistons

January 21st, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Speaking to Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), Bucks shooting guard Malik Beasley explained the thinking behind his decision to sign Milwaukee over the summer when he reached unrestricted free agency.

“Definitely wanted to win a championship, that was one of my goals,” Beasley said. “I felt that I’m at a point in my career where I just want to win and do whatever I can for the team. With the Bucks I felt like the dynamic of Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and being able to space the floor for them, I felt like that was huge. I looked into all that, making sure I would be able to get some reps, making sure I’d be able to get some playing time.”

“I do feel like I’m one of the best shooters in the league,” Beasley added. “I’m not try to be cocky or anything, I’m just confident.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Pascal Siakam‘s new Pacers teammates were encouraged by his strong debut for the club, a 21-point showing in a 118-115 loss to the Trail Blazers, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “We were just learning how to go on the fly, just going off our basketball brains,” All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “It’s like playing pickup a little bit out there. That’s the exciting part for us I think is we get back here is, we played alright, but there’s so much more room for us.”
Cavaliers 10-day signee Pete Nance is reveling in his opportunity to play for his favorite team, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “It’s surreal,” Nance told Fedor. “The goal was to get a call-up from the G League at some point, but to have it be the Cavs, it’s just a really cool thing for me. I’m super excited. I grew up a lifelong Cavs fan. Something I’ve thought about my whole life. I’ve been working for this my whole life. It’s a dream come true.” Pete’s father Larry Nance played for the Cavs from 1988-94, while his brother Larry Nance Jr. was with the team from 2018-21.
The struggling Pistons face an intriguing trade deadline. In a new reader mailbag, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) unpacks Detroit’s options, suggesting that the team will essentially view the trade deadline as an opportunity to get a head-start on the offseason by adding players who will be with the team beyond this season.

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.

Cavaliers Waive Seven Players

October 21st, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers have released seven players, including three who were just signed, according to the NBA.com transactions log.

Point guard Sharife Cooper, forward Pete Nance, guard Justin Powell and swingman Zhaire Smith all have Exhibit 10 contracts, so they’re likely headed to the Cleveland Charge, the organization’s G League affiliate. They can earn bonuses of up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the team.

Also placed on waivers were shooting guard Rob Edwards, small forward Aleem Ford and guard Devontae Shuler, who hadn’t been listed on the Cavs’ roster prior to today. They were likely all signed and waived with Exhibit 10 deals and will be eligible for the same $75K bonus.

Two of the players have brief NBA experience, as Edwards played two games for the Thunder and Ford appeared in five games with the Magic, both during the 2021/22 season.

The moves leave Cleveland with 12 fully guaranteed salaries and all three of its two-way slots filled. Veteran center Tristan Thompson and shooting guard Sam Merrill remain with the team on non-guaranteed deals.

Cavaliers Sign Sharife Cooper, Pete Nance

September 13th, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have officially signed free agent guard Sharife Cooper and forward Pete Nance, the team announced today in a press release. Cleveland also formally confirmed its deal with Justin Powell, which we previously detailed.

The 48th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Cooper spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with Atlanta, then played for the Cleveland Charge in the G League last season. Appearing in – and starting – 25 games for the Charge, he averaged 21.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .431/.316/.853.

Nance’s Exhibit 10 agreement with the Cavs was reported shortly after he went undrafted in June. He has ties to the organization — he’s the son of former Cavs legend Larry Nance and the younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., who spent parts of four seasons with Cleveland.

After spending four seasons with Northwestern, Nance transferred to North Carolina for a “super senior” season in 2022/23, averaging 10.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.1 BPG on .422/.320/.816 shooting in 30 games (30.1 MPG) for the Tar Heels. He had a larger offensive role with the Wildcats in ’21/22, posting 14.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.1 BPG on .497/.452/.768 shooting in 30 games (27.2 MPG).

While it hasn’t been confirmed in each case, Cooper, Nance, and Powell likely all received Exhibit 10 contracts, which can be converted into two-way deals before the regular season or would put them on track to earn bonuses worth up to $75K if they’re waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Charge.

Cleveland now has 20 players under contract, one away from the offseason limit.