Cavaliers news, features and notes
- Jason Lloyd: Lottery victory brings Cavs plenty of options through trades and draft
- Cleveland Cavaliers win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 again
- Cavs win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 in NBA Draft
- NBA Draft lottery: Cavs’ third-best odds have history of turning into top selection
- 2103 NBA Scouting Combine: GlenOak graduate C.J. McCollum hopes to be a lottery pick
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine: Cleveland Cavaliers focus on drafting good players, not overall strength of draft
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine: Otto Porter seems like perfect fit for Cleveland Cavaliers but no meeting on agenda
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine notebook: Nerlens Noel won’t play until late December but still interests Cavaliers
- Projected top pick Nerlens Noel won't be ready for start of season, targeting Christmas
- Former Ohio State star Deshaun Thomas refuses to give NBA team his phone number at combine
Jawad Williams released, Samuels to D-League
The Cavaliers released forward Jawad Williams today, two weeks before his contract would have been guaranteed for the rest of the season. They also assigned Samardo Samuels to Erie of the NBA Development League.
Williams' release, which was expected, frees up a roster spot for future moves. His deal, worth about $1 million, was not guaranteed as long as he was released before Jan. 10. The Cavs continue to be active in trade talks around the league, but nothing seems imminent at the moment. They continue to dangle their $14.5 million trade exception to try and facilitate deals around the league while seeking draft picks in return.
Samuels, an undrafted rookie, has appeared in just four games this season. He needs playing time and the BayHawks have four games in the next five nights. He will join Christian Eyenga, who is already on assignment at Erie. But Eyenga and Samuels still count on the Cavs' roster, leaving them with just the one open spot created by Williams' release.
Williams, the local product from St. Ed's, appeared in 26 games and made one start this season. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 15 minutes and had one of his best performances of the season in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Williams tied his career high with three 3-pointers and scored nine points, all in the second half.