Amid a quiet offseason, bringing Larry Nance Jr. back to the Cleveland Cavaliers was deemed as a massive win for the franchise at the time. 15 games into the 2025-26 NBA season, the results have not been quite as good as most would have hoped for.
Nance has enjoyed a considerable role off the bench for the Cavaliers, averaging 15.1 minutes per game. There is an argument to be made that the versatile big man does a lot of the little things that do not show up in the box score. Even so, it is a touch difficult to overlook the disappointing stats posted by the free-agent acquisition thus far.
Nance has averaged 3.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, shooting a dreadful 34.0 percent from the field and a lackluster 26.9 percent from beyond the arc. The lack of offensive production has given him a brutal offensive rating of 92 per 100 possessions to this point.
Similarly, Nance has struggled when it comes to offensive win shares (-0.2) and offensive box plus/minus (-7.4). If the Cavaliers are starting to think about cutting the reunion short in Cleveland, the date for that is coming up very quickly.
Larry Nance Jr.'s trade restrictions will expire on Dec. 15
As of Dec. 15, based on when he was signed during the offseason, Nance will be eligible for inclusion into any potential trade negotiations for the Cavaliers. That date represents the unofficial start to trade season during the 2025-26 season, with many offseason acquisitions similarly having their restrictions lifted.
For the Cavaliers, that moment comes with a serious discussion and decision to be made. Is Nance still the big man they envision backing up Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt?
There will certainly be names around the NBA who could be available via trade to offer a boost to the rotation up front for the Cavaliers. If the offensive production continues to look bleak for Nance, there should certainly be no stone unturned in pursuit of a Larry O'Brien Trophy.
A lot of the struggles on the attack for the Cavaliers can be chalked up to the absence of Darius Garland. Seeing the star point guard return, and immediately raise the ceiling of the offense, only to get hurt again was a frustrating experience for all.
Nance would certainly be a player who would benefit from having Garland around. The same can pretty much be said of anyone on the Cavaliers.
Whether Cleveland feels comfortable banking on that sentiment should tell a lot as to how active they choose to be after trade season begins. There should be a natural level of urgency once general managers are picking up the phones and calling each other with regularity.