3 players still available for Cavs to sign in free agency

3 players still available for Cavs to sign in free agency: Jordan Nwora

The Milwaukee Bucks are the most obvious practitioner of the second-round dark-arts: they draft a player or two in the second round and sign them, knowing second-round picks don’t count against the luxury tax in the same way. Two years ago they did this with former Louisville forward Jordan Nwora, and he now hits the open market as a restricted free agent. Given that the Bucks have 15 players on their roster when you add in their new signings, it’s probable that Nwora gets his qualifying offer pulled and that he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Nwora has excellent size at 6’8″, 225 lbs and defensively could play the 3 or the 4 depending on matchups. He shot 45.2 percent from deep his rookie season and a somewhat reduced 34.8 last season in an expanded role. He is a career 80.9 percent free-throw shooter as well, so the general conclusion is that he is a very good shooter. What’s more, his shot has the versatility for Nwora to fire away coming off of screens, allowing his teams to run complex off-ball actions to distract a defense and potentially pop him open from 3-point range.

Nwora is a role player; the Cavs would be signing him as sech, a developmental wing with a standout skill. He would spend a lot of time with the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate. If the shooting balances out at a high level and the defense holds up, then perhaps he starts getting some run down the line. This is a low-risk, medium-reward flyer for a roster spot that the Cavs could dump Nwora out of if a better player or unbalanced trade comes around. If Nwora hits, then they’ve found one of the most valuable things in the league, a 3-and-D wing.