The Cleveland Cavaliers have added a former first-round pick who just turned 23 years old. Unfortunately for him, he was signed only to the Cavs' Summer League roster; unfortunately for Cleveland, Malaki Branham is on the precipice of washing out of the league entirely.
The San Antonio Spurs drafted Branham with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. A four-star recruit at Ohio State, Branham had a breakout freshman season and was the Big 10 Freshman of the Year, propelling him to declare for the NBA Draft after just one year.
Branham struggled with the Spurs
The Spurs rolled the dice on Branham, targeting a combo guard with good length and a knockdown jumpshot. He was one of three Spurs' first-round picks that year, none of whom are still in San Antonio or even playing with a guaranteed contract: Jeremy Sochan, who went ninth, and Blake Wesley, who was drafted 25th.
Branham flunked out quickly with the Spurs, seeing his role decrease from 23.5 minutes per game as a rookie to only 9.1 minutes per game in 2024-25. San Antonio dumped him on the Washington Wizards prior to last season, clearing the way for win-now players as they pivoted to playoff contention.
In Washington last season, Branham never caught his stride either, despite playing on a deliberately tanking team. When the Wizards needed to move a player in a trade to take back another player, Branham was dumped on the Charlotte Hornets, who immediately waived him. He didn't catch on with another team down the stretch.
Cleveland is giving him a (small) chance
There has been no chatter of Branham getting a full contract with another team, so to Summer League he must go. The Cavaliers get to take a close look at him for the next few weeks and see if he has anything left in the tank.
The idea of Malaki Branham is still enticing, even if he hasn't put it together yet. At 6'4" with a 6'10" wingspan, he has the size and length not to be absolutely destroyed defensively, and perhaps the baseline building blocks to be a good defender -- if someone can unlock that potential.
That is important because it would allow him to clear the threshold for his offensive game to matter. Branham was a confident shooter in college, getting to his spots for pull-up jumpers both inside and outside of the arc. His catch-and-shoot jumper was likewise smooth and clean while playing for the Buckeyes.
Teams need shot creation off the bench, and Branham has all the makings of being a player quite familiar to the Cavaliers: Caris LeVert. The problem is that LeVert was able to gain separation often enough against NBA competition to make everything work. Branham hasn't done that thus far.
Could a strong Summer League turn into an NBA chance, with Cleveland or someone else? It's absolutely possible. Step one will be performing in Las Vegas. If he fails this test, it may be the end of the line. If he cannot generate separation against NBA competition, he can still be a potent weapon in Europe.
The Cavaliers are rolling the dice to see if the Spurs gave up too soon. But the bet is a safe one, and they'll walk away from the table if it doesn't work out.
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