Cavs Waive Pete Nance, Multiple Others

The Cavaliers have waived point guard Sharife Cooper, forward Pete Nance, guard Justin Powell and swingman Zhaire Smith, per the NBA transactions log.

All four players are likely headed to the Cleveland Charge of the G League — and if so, each will be eligible for a bonus of up to $75,000 if they remain with the franchise for at least 60 days.

Along with those four, the Cavs waived shooting guard Rob Edwards, small forward Aleem Ford and guard Devontae Shuler.

Edwards, Ford and Shuler weren’t listed on the roster before today, but were signed and waived, and are likely also headed to the Charge.

Nance is the son of Cavs legend Larry Nance and younger brother of former Cavs and current Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr.

Pete Nance is 6-foot-11 and spent four years at Northwestern before transferring to North Carolina as a fifth-year senior last year. With the Tar Heels, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 30 games, shooting 42 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free-throw line.

He appeared in all six games for the Summer League champion Cavs, averaging 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Cooper, 21, is 6-1 and has appeared in 13 NBA games after being selected with the No. 48 overall pick in 2021.

He was waived by the Hawks in late July and worked out for the Lakers over the summer.

Last season, Cooper spent most of his time with the College Park SkyHawks of the G League, averaging 17.1 points and 6.9 assists in 22 games.

Powell is 6-6 and spent each of the past three years with a different college program — first with Auburn, then with Tennessee, then Washington State. He then declared for the 2023 NBA Draft but was not selected.

In 34 games with Washington State last season, Powell averaged 10.4 points and shot 43 percent on 3-pointers. He played for the Heat in the NBA Summer League and was expected to sign a camp deal in Miami. He instead chose Cleveland.