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Cavaliers Exercise Craig Porter Jr.'s Fourth-Year Option

This secures a cheap roster spot, allowing Cleveland a one-year evaluation before Porter becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Overview

  • The Cavaliers exercised Porter’s fourth-year team option on June 22, 2026, which locks him into an approximately $2.4 million cap hit for the 2026-27 season.
  • Picking up the option removes a backcourt decision ahead of the June 23–24 NBA Draft and reduces pressure to use Cleveland’s late first-round pick on a developmental guard.
  • Porter appeared in 64 regular-season games in 2025-26, averaging 4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists, and he played nine minutes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
  • The option is a unilateral, one-year team decision that gives Cleveland short-term control without a long-term commitment and leaves Porter set to become an unrestricted free agent after 2026-27.
  • The move reflects Cleveland’s preference for affordable, system-savvy bench depth that can defend and handle the ball, freeing the front office to focus draft-night attention on wings and project bigs.