It comes as no surprise, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have not signed any of their training camp invitees.
The team entered camp with 14 of 15 roster spots open, leaving one available for an impromptu free agent signing or 2-for-1 trade partner, a strategy the team has used for the past few years. Cleveland opted to waive seven training camp invitees, with the list ranging from players looking to find their full-time team in the league to a former first round pick.
The Cavaliers are just days away from the first game of the regular season opener against the New York Knicks, so the recent roster moves come as no surprise.
One of the major headline-grabbers was guard Killian Hayes, the seventh overall selection by the Detroit Pistons back in the 2020 NBA Draft, who was waived recently and has spent his five-year career with three different teams. His most recent stint led him to the Brooklyn Nets, where he played in six games and attributed 9.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds a game on 45.5% from the field and 38.1% from deep.
Hayes isn’t a bad player, just one that is trying to find his footing in the league and end up with a team that will give him a real shot to get playing time.
The other six on the list are journeymen. Those include forward Chaney Johnson, forward Miller Kopp, forward Norchard Omier, forward Tristan Enaruna, guard Darius Brown and guard Zeke Mayo.
Each of these players have presented a unique opportunity to end up being signed to the G-League Cleveland Charge with hopes of eventually ending up on the main roster.
Of the seven guys the Cavaliers moved on from, the most likely guy to end up on the Charge is Hayes and Omier.
Hayes looked solid in Cleveland’s preseason affair against the Boston Celtics as he recorded 10 points, two assists and a rebound in 14 minutes of action on the court.
Alongside Hayes, Omier played well. He only logged seven minutes of action in the game against Boston, racking up six points and four rebounds. He has a lot of room to grow as well, playing for Arkansas State, Miami and Baylor during his five-year collegiate career. He was named the 2021-22 Sun Belt Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time All-ACC selection and a 2024-25 All-Big 12 selection.
Omier wasn’t just good in college, he was great.
He provides a strong level of dual-threat capabilities on offense and defense, while also giving a consistent double-double performance on any given night. Throughout his college career, he averaged 15.6 points and 10.9 rebounds.
Like Hayes, he has a ceiling that hasn’t quite been reached yet, and if given the time, he may be able to grow into a contributor for the Cavaliers.
With injuries seemingly always being apart of the Cavaliers season timeline, Hayes and Omier could see time with the main squad at some point this year.
But for now, the Cavaliers’ attention sits on the Knicks, who they will take on in the team’s first game of the 2025-26 regular season on Wednesday. The two sides will clash from Madison Square Garden at 7:00 p.m.