Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors

Cavs Sign, Waive Zeke Mayo

October 18th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:59 pm: Mayo has been waived, per NBA.com’s transaction log, putting him on track to sign a G League contract and join the Charge.

10:14 am: The Cavaliers have added guard Zeke Mayo on an Exhibit 10 contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Mayo, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, was a member of the Wizards’ Summer League team. He played one season for the Jayhawks, averaging 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 42.2% from deep. He had 18 points and six rebounds in an NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Arkansas.

Prior to that, Mayo spent three seasons with South Dakota State and was named the Summit League Player of the Year in 2024.

The 6’4” guard will likely be waived and join the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate. He could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 with the Charge if he sticks with that team at least 60 days.

And-Ones: Team USA, Role Players, M. Jones, Balcetis

October 17th, 2025 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters at a Thursday press conference to formally introduce Erik Spoelstra as Team USA’s new men’s basketball head coach, managing director Grant Hill said that winning a World Cup for the first time since 2014 is the “first order of business” for the national team, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

The U.S. finished seventh at the 2019 World Cup and fourth in 2023, failing to secure a medal at either event. Typically, the World Cup rosters featured less established stars than the Olympic squads, and that likely won’t change going forward, according to Vardon, who points to Cooper Flagg and Evan Mobley as a couple possibilities for the 2027 team. For his part, Hill is in no rush to lock in on any specific players quite yet.

“We have some time, and one of the great things is to see who emerges,” Hill said. “You have two years before the World Cup, and it seems like every season there are players who take a step in their development and become better players, All-Star players, players whose games translate to international play.

“It’s great to get these players in the pipeline. The great thing is, yes, the world is getting better, but we are too. We still have some great players in this country, great young players. And you know, it’s on me to get out and recruit and you know, sort of share with guys the importance of doing this.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies five role players around the NBA who could end up being pivotal contributors for their respective teams this season, including Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr., Cavaliers wing De’Andre Hunter, and Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr.
After signing him last month, the Perth Wildcats have parted ways with former NBA guard Mason Jones, as Olgun Uluc of ESPN writes. Jones, who was named the MVP of the 2025 G League Finals in April, struggled in his first five games in Australia’s National Basketball League, shooting just 34.7% from the floor, including 27.6% on three-pointers. The Wildcats are exploring the market for a new import guard to replace him, per Uluc.
Former Nuggets assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis is joining Zalgiris Kaunas as the Lithuanian club’s head of innovations, according to BasketNews. Balcetis was considered a potential candidate to run Denver’s front office after the team fired Calvin Booth in the spring, but the Nuggets opted to promote Ben Tenzer into that position and didn’t renew Balcetis’ contract.
NBA rookies and award winners will wear patches on their jerseys this season as part of the league’s partnership with Fanatic/Topps. Dan Hajducky of ESPN has the details on the new program.

Cavaliers Sign, Waive Darius Brown II

October 16th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Rory Maher

October 16: Cleveland has requested waivers on Brown, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

October 13: Brown has officially signed with the Cavaliers, per RealGM’s transaction log.

October 9: The Cavaliers intend to sign free agent guard Darius Brown II, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

In a follow-up tweet, Fedor clarifies that Cleveland will likely sign Brown after the team’s third preseason game against Boston on Sunday. Brown is expected to be active for next Tuesday’s preseason finale vs. Detroit, Fedor adds.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Brown will almost certainly sign a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 10 language. Assuming he’s waived before the season begins, which is a virtual lock, Brown would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

A 6’2″ point guard who went undrafted in 2024 out of Utah State, Brown signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs last fall, was waived a few days later, and spent all of 2024/25 in the NBAGL with the Charge. In 44 total games, the 26-year-old averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest.

The Cavs are currently at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, so they’ll have to cut another player to add Brown.

Warriors, Lakers Top 2025 NBA Franchise Valuations

October 16th, 2025 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are still the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2025 on Thursday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $11.33 billion, which represents an incredible 24% increase from last year’s $9.14 billion valuation. The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, at $12.8 billion, continue to be the only global sports franchise whose valuation comes in higher than Golden State’s, according to Sportico’s projections.

As Badenhausen outlines, the Warriors lead the NBA in revenue by a significant margin, having generated an estimated $833MM last season. Golden State makes more than $5MM per game in ticket revenue, along with $2.5MM from luxury suites; the club also has a $45MM per year jersey patch deal with Rakuten, earns almost double what any other team makes in sponsorship revenue, and is one of the few teams to fully own and operate its arena, per Sportico.

After placing third a year ago, the Lakers have jumped to second place on Sportico’s 2025 list at $10 billion, based on Mark Walter‘s recent agreement to purchase the team at that valuation. The Lakers moved slightly ahead of the third-place Knicks, who come in at $9.85 billion.

Every team’s valuation has increased by at least 9% since last year, per Sportico, with the average value of an NBA franchise now at $5.51 billion (up 20% from 2024) and no team worth less than $4 billion.

The average valuation has more than doubled since 2022, when it was $2.58 billion. As Badenhausen writes, the NBA’s new $76 billion media rights deal and its global ambitions – including the possible creation of a league in Europe – have played a part in those gains.

Although the Warriors’ $833MM is something out of an outlier, NBA teams generated an average of approximately $408MM in revenue last season, according to Badenhausen, with the Grizzlies coming in last at $301MM. Memphis also ranks 30th on Sportico’s list of franchise values.

Despite placing at the bottom of this list, the Grizzlies actually had the most significant increase in their franchise valuation this past year, rising from $3.06 billion to $4 billion (31%). The Pelicans (30%), Timberwolves (29%), and Eastern Conference champion Pacers (27%) were the other biggest risers.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But these projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2025:

Golden State Warriors: $11.33 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $10 billion
New York Knicks: $9.85 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $6.72 billion
Boston Celtics: $6.35 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $6.22 billion
Chicago Bulls: $6.12 billion
Miami Heat: $6.03 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $5.61 billion
Houston Rockets: $5.53 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $5.24 billion
Toronto Raptors: $5.22 billion
Phoenix Suns: $5.09 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $5.02 billion
Sacramento Kings: $5 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $4.86 billion
Denver Nuggets: $4.8 billion
Washington Wizards: $4.78 billion
Indiana Pacers: $4.76 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $4.54 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $4.5 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $4.34 billion
Utah Jazz: $4.27 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $4.25 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $4.24 billion
Orlando Magic: $4.21 billion
Detroit Pistons: $4.17 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $4.13 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $4.02 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $4 billion

As Badenhausen notes, Sportico’s projections are based on a control sale price, rather than limited stake purchases. Controlling shares in the Celtics, Lakers, and Trail Blazers all changed hands this past year, though only the Celtics sale has been formally approved by the NBA so far.

William Chisholm is buying the Celtics in two stages, with an initial valuation of $6.1 billion and a blended valuation of roughly $6.5 billion. Walter is purchasing the Lakers at a valuation of $10 billion, while Tom Dundon is buying the Blazers at a $4.25 billion valuation.

Central Notes: Turner, Ball, Mathurin, Sarama, Russell

October 15th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Bucks got their first glimpse of the Giannis Antetokounmpo–Myles Turner pairing on Sunday, and what they saw in just over five minutes should excite them, says Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Despite Antetokounmpo’s somewhat pedestrian box score numbers, his presence opened up the floor for the team’s shooters, Nehm writes. Most importantly, Turner’s instincts, not only as a spacer but also as a cutter, worked perfectly alongside Antetokounmpo’s scoring gravity, creating wide-open looks for the Bucks’ guards.

“The most important thing about him is that he sacrifices,” Antetokounmpo said. “At times, he knows that he’s not going to get the ball and he’s going to create the open shot for his teammate.”

While the on-court stint may have been over quickly, Nehm feels it’s indicative of why pursuing Turner was the right choice for a team featuring Antetokounmpo. So far, the Bucks’ star seems to agree.

“It’s fun playing with him. Makes the game easier for me,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think I’ll try to make the game easier for him. When I draw a lot of attention, I think he’s gonna be able to create a lot of open shots … So he just makes the game easier not just for me, for the whole team.”

We have more notes from around the Central Division:

Speaking of proving the value of an offseason pursuit, Lonzo Ball showed during Tuesday’s preseason game against the Pistons why the Cavaliers targeted him in trade talks this summer, writes Chris Fedor for Cleveland.com. Ball did a bit of everything in his 20 minutes, with nine points, nine assists, four rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Coach Kenny Atkinson said that was exactly what he was envisioning Ball’s role to be. “He hasn’t disappointed,” Atkinson said. “Everything that we thought we were getting, we’re getting. He’s just got a great, great feel. I’m excited to coach any NBA player, but this is a guy I’ve watched for a long time. He’s kind of the ultimate system fit.” It appears the only questions surrounding Ball’s tenure in Cleveland will be related to health, not skill set.
Bennedict Mathurin is expected to command a significant role for the Pacers this season with Tyrese Haliburton recovering from an Achilles tear. In Monday’s preseason matchup against the Spurs, he showed that he could not only create his own shot, but also play within the flow of the offense, writes Dustin Dopirak for the Indianapolis Star. Mathurin ended the game with 31 points on 11-of-12 shooting. On the less encouraging side of things, the Pacers’ four centers, Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, James Wiseman, and Tony Bradley, scored three total points on 0-of-10 shooting. With the departure of Turner, figuring out how to survive the center rotation will be crucial for the Pacers to stay competitive.
Alex Sarama, who spent the last year and a half as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, has been announced as the first head coach for the newly-christened Portland Fire WNBA team, writes Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. Sarama worked with Fire general manager Vanja Cernivec during their time with the London Lions in the British Basketball League, serving as the Lions’ director of methodology.
Walker Russell Jr. has played for the Pistons, as did his father, Walter Russell Sr. He now returns to the organization as an assistant coach for its G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, writes Omar Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. The Russells remain the only father-son duo to ever both play for the Pistons, and Sankofa adds that both father and son started and ended their playing career in Detroit. Russell Jr. is eager for the opportunity. “This right here is the best feeling I ever had, coming home,” he said. “I get to grind player development, I get to grind with the guys and tell my story, the good and the bad. The bad is what I really, really like to harp on because everybody talks about the good in this business. Nobody really talks about how you stay in this business.“

Cavaliers Waive Killian Hayes

October 15th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Cavaliers have waived Killian Hayes, reports HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter).

Scotto notes that Hayes, who was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs, is expected to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

Hayes was selected seventh overall by the Pistons during the 2020 draft. He played four years in Detroit before spending part of last season with the Nets, with whom he averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 38.1% on three-pointers in six appearances.

Hayes also played 18 games with the Long Island Nets, averaging 20.7 points, 7.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest while knocking down 41.7% of his threes.

A strong defender as a 6’5″ point guard, Hayes has struggled with scoring consistency during his time in the league, as evidenced by his career 28.1% three-point mark. Scotto notes that he is still hopeful to find another NBA deal.

Hayes was one of three players cut today by the Cavaliers, per NBA.com’s official transaction log. Camp invitees Tristan Enaruna and Norchad Omier were also placed on waivers and will likely end up with the Charge as well.

Injury Notes: Garland, Suggs, Adebayo, Bucks, Pacers, Thiero

October 15th, 2025 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland took an important step forward in his recovery from toe surgery by participating in a 5-on-5 contact scrimmage on Tuesday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). While head coach Kenny Atkinson referred to as a positive development, he cautioned that it doesn’t mean Garland’s return is imminent.

“It was live. It was very short,” Atkinson said. “Now let’s see what tomorrow looks like. What does the recovery look like? We know this is not an easy injury to come back from. It’s just not. You see what happens in the NFL with this injury. It’s not linear, usually, the return to performance, and we’re hoping it will be and he’ll progress. But I side on the side of being conservative and making sure. This is a good step today. A small step but a good step.”

Sources who have spoken to Fedor have maintained that Garland still could miss the first 10-15 games of the regular season. With their starting point guard expected to be unavailable when the season tips off, the Cavs intend to start Sam Merrill in the backcourt alongside Donovan Mitchell, who will take on more ball-handling responsibilities, says Fedor.

We have several more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Magic guard Jalen Suggs did “a little bit” of contact work on Tuesday in a 3-on-3 setting, head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters, including Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). It’s unclear whether Suggs will be able to play in Orlando’s remaining preseason game on Thursday or if he’ll be ready for the season opener next Wednesday.
Heat big man Bam Adebayo exited Monday’s preseason game early due to a knee injury, but it’s just a contusion and wasn’t serious enough to require an MRI, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). While it remains to be seen if Adebayo will suit up in the team’s preseason finale on Friday, it sounds like he should fine for the start of the season.
After Myles Turner (right calf soreness) and Gary Harris (right hamstring strain) sat out the Bucks‘ last preseason game on Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers downplayed Turner’s issue and suggested he’ll be ready for the start of the season, but said Harris’ hamstring injury will likely sideline him for a week or two, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links).
The injuries that Pacers reserves Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain) and Quenton Jackson (right hamstring soreness) are dealing with aren’t “serious,” according to head coach Rick Carlisle, but there’s no guarantee either player will be ready for opening night. “There’s a chance they could be back for the opening of the season, but I don’t know how big of a chance,” Carlisle said, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers’ coach added Ben Sheppard, who has been out with an undisclosed injury, is “trending in a good direction” and could be available on Friday for the club’s preseason finale.
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero remains sidelined due to swelling in his knee but has progressed to on-court activities, the team announced on Tuesday (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). The Lakers added that Thiero will be reevaluated in approximately two or three weeks.

Clippers, Cavaliers Make Changes To Preseason Rosters

October 13th, 2025 at 10:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have officially re-signed TyTy Washington Jr. and waived John Poulakidas, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links).

It’s unclear why Los Angeles brought back Washington — perhaps the team wants to give him an opportunity to play in preseason. The former first-round pick was signed in August and waived in late September, so he was already eligible for his Exhibit 10 bonus, which is worth $85,300, the maximum allowable.

Former Yale sharpshooter Poulakidas was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal as well. The 6’5″ shooting guard averaged 19.4 points and 3.3 rebounds on .451/.408/.897 shooting in 27 games (31.6 minutes per contest) as a senior with the Bulldogs last season. He went undrafted in June.

The Cavaliers also made a change their preseason roster on Monday, waiving forwards Miller Kopp and Chaney Johnson, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Cleveland signed Kopp and Johnson to Exhibit 10 contracts on September 26. Both players spent training camp with the Cavaliers — Kopp appeared in two preseason contests, while Johnson played one.

Kopp, 26, went undrafted out of Indiana in 2023. He has spent the past two seasons in the G League with the Thunder’s affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. In 48 games (29.6 MPG) with the Blue in 2024/25, Kopp averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.1 SPG while shooting 41.8% from three-point range.

As for Johnson, his Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs was first reported shortly after he went undrafted earlier this year. The 6’7″ wing was a key reserve for an Auburn team that reached the Final Four last season, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 38 games (23.5 MPG).

Bulls Notes: Ball, Jones, Williams, White

October 11th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

When Lonzo Ball signed a team-friendly two-year extension with the Bulls in February, he knew that he’d probably be in a different uniform before it expired, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. A $10MM annual salary with a club option in 2026/27 made Ball extremely attractive to contenders, and the Cavaliers were the first to pounce, sending Isaac Okoro to Chicago in a July trade.

Ball is happy to be with a contender in Cleveland, and he believes both teams benefited from the deal.

“I think teams trade to try to get better, so Chicago did what was best for them, and I think Cleveland did what they thought was best for them,” Ball said. “So all I can control is where I’m at and who I’m playing for, and that’s the Cavs right now. Go out there and give them my all.”

Ball completed a remarkable comeback last season, appearing in 35 games after missing two and a half years due to recurring knee issues. Cowley expects the Cavs to be cautious with him — limiting his minutes and not using him on both nights of back-to-backs — in order to keep him healthy for the playoffs.

Ball is still a beloved figure in Chicago, and he received a tribute video when Cleveland visited the United Center on Thursday.

“Just thankful, man,” he said. “I made a lot of good relationships here on and off the court. Loved the city of Chicago, and, as you can see, the fans still rock with me, so a lot of love to them. But coaches, man, even my teammates, it’s always great seeing them and hope the best for them moving forward, for sure.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

Re-signing Tre Jones was an offseason priority after acquiring him from San Antonio in a February trade, Cowley adds in a separate story. Cowley believes the addition of Jones made it easier for the Bulls to part with Ball. “He just kind of makes things happen,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He finds guys on cuts, back cuts. He gets to the basket. He’s very calm, got a good IQ, and, yeah, I kind of said it last year — he’s got that ‘it’ factor. He just makes plays.”
After five mostly frustrating seasons with the team, Patrick Williams recognizes the need to improve, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. He focused on dropping weight during the summer with a high-cardio workout routine that included running through sand dunes in Los Angeles. He hopes the increased mobility will make him more versatile on defense. “I always wanted to be strong and fit, be able to guard fours, guard fives, guard ones, guard twos, guard threes,” Williams said. “That was kind of the mindfulness of it — not wanting to be too slim where I can’t guard different positions, but also being slim enough where my joints and stuff aren’t just aching after games. Not just taking that constant beating and pounding with however many pounds of weight driving on them each and every day. (These are) things that over time you just become mindful of after you deal with a few injuries.”
Coby White remains sidelined with a calf strain he suffered in August, Poe states in another piece. There’s still hope that he might be ready for the October 16 preseason finale and the October 22 regular season opener, but Donovan said the team is being careful not to bring him back too early due to the strain of playing in an up-tempo offense.

Central Notes: White, Jackson, Allen, Hunter

October 9th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Coby White has added motivation to return swiftly from a calf strain that’s plagued him ahead of the 2025/26 season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. White is on track to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will be looking to build on the best two years of his career.

According to Cowley, early indications are that both the Bulls and White are interested in getting a deal done next summer. Both sides are expected to proceed with caution when it comes to his return from his calf injury.

With White sidelined in Chicago’s preseason opener on Tuesday, Kevin Huerter took the bulk of his minutes and started in his stead. If White is to miss any regular season time, Huerter would be the prime candidate to assume a larger role.

We have more from the Central Division:

After missing all but five games last season due to an Achilles injury, Pacers center Isaiah Jackson seems to have the inside track to the starting center role, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who details the big man’s recovery and conditioning process. “I can use my weight,” Jackson said. “I was always physical but I couldn’t move guys how I wanted to. I couldn’t play my brand of basketball. I’d get up to the offensive rim and I’d have to go straight up. Now I can bump people and move people out the way and I don’t really affected by it. Strength wise, I can play defense a little better. I can hold my own.“
The tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has proven to be effective, but Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculates that Allen could be a name to watch at the deadline depending on how the Cavaliers open the season. According to Mannix, most evaluators view Mobley as a long-term center, so there’s a sense that the team could be open to moving Allen at some point for the right return.
De’Andre Hunter had his most successful NBA season in 2024/25 across stints with the Hawks and Cavaliers, averaging a career-high 17.0 points per game and finishing fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting. He looks poised to carry over that momentum this fall and take another step forward, having recorded 17 points and seven rebounds in Cleveland’s preseason opener. In a subscriber-only piece, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examines why Hunter’s teammates are expecting a “huge year” from the forward and why head coach Kenny Atkinson has referred to him as the club’s “offseason MVP.”