Cleveland Cavaliers, Thon Maker agree to training camp deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Thon Maker have reportedly agreed to terms on a training camp deal.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, along with other NBA teams, have their training camp set to begin soon, and the Wine and Gold are looking to fill out their squad for that.

Cleveland acquired reserve big JaVale McGee, to go with a future second-round pick, via trade with the Los Angeles Lakers last weekend.

Additionally, after a few signings such as Damyean Dotson and re-signing Matthew Dellavedova earlier this week, for example, which are set to be contributors next season, Cleveland made another signing on Saturday.

According to a recent report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Cleveland and big Thon Maker, who was an unrestricted free agent, agreed to terms on a contract, and per a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, the deal will be of the training camp variety. Fedor then noted in a report how the Cavs’ training camp roster is now filled out at 20 players, factoring in Canton Charge players Marques Bolden and Levi Randolph, to go with Exhibit 10 signing Charles Matthews, among others.

The Cavs taking a look at Maker is an understandable move.

I get where the Cavs were coming from here with this Maker training camp deal. This isn’t a signing that’s going to be making shockwaves around the NBA landscape, no, but via training camp deal for Cleveland, it’s understandable.

Maker, who was unrestricted from the Detroit Pistons not extending him a qualifying offer, is not a guy that’d likely play much if he were to end up making Cleveland’s roster for next season. Albeit taking more of a look at him via camp deal isn’t the worst idea in the world.

Maker, who was initially on the Milwaukee Bucks and was traded to Detroit during the 2018-19 season in a three-team deal also featuring the New Orleans Pelicans, has shown some flashes of stretch big potential in his career to this point.

Though for his career overall a 32.9 percent hit rate from three-point range is nothing to write home about, Maker did hit 37.8 percent from three-point land as a rookie in 2016-17 with Milwaukee and hit 34.4 percent from deep with Detroit in 2019-20. Last season, he played 12.9 minutes per outing, and had 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per outing.

You’d think him showing some spot-up/pick-and-pop capability in his career thus far is what the Cleveland Cavaliers were looking at here with this training camp deal, frankly, which would be reasonable. Maker has shown some ability to get offensive boards as well/bring down and finish some lobs as well.

Maker is still only 23 at this juncture, too, so Cleveland taking more of a look at Maker, who they’re probably very familiar with, considering he’s been on two teams in their division through four seasons, is something I again can get. Maker has provided some rotational rim protection in his minutes-share, too, as he’s a true 7-footer and is capable vertically, and has a 7-foot-3 wingspan.

To be clear here, though, it’s tough to say if Maker will end up making the roster, due to how he’s not been able to be viable for long stretches of play to this point. He’s had 4.6 fouls per-36 minutes through for his career, in large part due to how he’s a thinner 221 pounds, and it’s tough for Maker to hold up on the interior defensively on-ball against plenty of bigs.

Nonetheless, Maker has shown the ability to be an active helper/rotator on the interior, and he’s shown some capability to switch out at times if needed on to perimeter players in pick-and-roll coverage, so perhaps he could end up being a viable spot minutes-type of big.

That could be a change of pace and/or maybe he could be a decent backup to Andre Drummond/perhaps play alongside JaVale McGee at times with McGee at the 4.

In any case, we’ll have see if Maker ends up making a good impression on the Cavs, seemingly in some preseason run. The Cavaliers, per a team press release, have four preseason games, at home on Dec. 12 and 14 versus the Indiana Pacers and ones on the road at the New York Knicks on Dec. 16 and 18.

Maybe Maker ends up showing flashes in those, if the opportunities arise.