Larry Nance Jr. returned home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite interest from the Atlanta Hawks to bring him back. It was a move that was expected and feared by the Hawks and those who follow them.
Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks explained that he was not surprised that Larry Nance Jr. signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The reason was simple: Nance was born in Akron, grew up in Cleveland, was the son of a Cavaliers legend, and clearly had a special connection to the city and the franchise. If given the chance to return, many in Atlanta expected him to do just that.
Larry Nance joining the Cavaliers was unsurprising
It's not that things went poorly for Nance with the Hawks. Not at all. While he did battle injuries, that goes for nearly every season of his career. When he did take the court after landing in Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray trade, Nance played well. Of particular note was his 3-point shooting, as the second Larry shot 44.7 percent from deep a year after shooting 41.5 percent.
The Hawks needed a third center, and Nance would have fit nicely. Kristaps Porzingis is a gifted player at center but he is more injury prone than even Nance. Having another stretch big able to step in and play in Porzingis's absence is a need for the Hawks; they more than most have to roster a third center who can play. The question for them now is who that can be, since Nance spurned them -- amicably, to be sure -- for his hometown Cavaliers.
Larry Nance Sr. is a franchise legend, part of the first great Cavaliers teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They went toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan and fell short of a great postseason run, but the combination of Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance were legendary in Cleveland.
That Nance's son bears the same name and has played for Cleveland is remarkable and joyful for fans of the Cavaliers, and his homecoming only brings all of those feelings back. The stretch big played 3.5 seasons in Cleveland and built strong relationships inside and outside of the organization.
Teams around the league focused on upgrading their center rooms this offseason. The league is trending bigger and Nance is just one of many non-star bigs to change teams. Brook Lopez, Jonas Valanciunas, Myles Turner, Clint Capela, Deandre Ayton, John Collins, Jay Huff, Luke Kornet, on and on.
Nance could have likely found a number of teams interested in his services, and some of them may have come with more money or more playing time than in Cleveland. Yet Nance projects as an ideal fit, someone who can play a light load of minutes behind the two-man combo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley but can step in at the 4 as well because of his shooting ability.
His defensive versatility and floor-spacing make him an ideal third big and role player for this team, and there will be stretches where the team needs him. Could another team have offered more? Yes, but they could never have offered a return home. Only Cleveland fit the bill.
The Hawks saw it coming. Their reporters saw it coming. Nance chose his next destination with his heart, and there is a very real chance that pays off and he is able to celebrate a Cavaliers championship for the team he has always loved.