CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have converted the contract of guard Craig Porter Jr. to a standard NBA contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. Porter Jr. will subsequently be assigned to the Cleveland Charge for tonight’s game at Grand Rapids.
Porter Jr. (6-2, 185) was originally signed by the Cavaliers on a Two-Way contract on July 7th after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Wichita State. This season, he has played in 32 games (five starts) for the Cavaliers and is averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists (6th among NBA rookies), 2.5 rebounds, 0.53 steals and 0.38 blocks, while shooting .509 from the field in 14.7 minutes per contest. Porter Jr., who was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2023 Summer League Championship team, has scored in double figures on nine occasions and handed out five or more assists eight times this season.
In a win over Denver on Nov. 19, Porter Jr. recorded a career-high 21 points on 7-10 (.700) shooting from the field, including a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 25 minutes off the bench. His 21 points were the most by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Matthew Dellavedova on March 26, 2014 at Detroit (21 PTS). Against New Orleans on Dec. 21, Porter Jr. dished out a career-high 11 assists, which were the most assists by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Dellavedova (4/9/14 vs DET). He also recorded the most rebounds ever by a Cavaliers undrafted rookie with 12 boards during a win at Dallas on Dec. 27.