Larry Nance Jr., Cavaliers Reportedly Agree to Contract, PF's 2nd Stint With Team

Larry Nance Jr. has found a new—albeit familiar—home in free agency.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Nance is signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nance previously played for Cleveland from 2018 to 2021, averaging 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists during that span.

Nance spent last season with the Atlanta Hawks after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Dejounte Murray trade.

Given where the Hawks on their current development timeline, it didn't seem like Nance was going to be around for a long time. He played on an expiring contract with an $11.2 million salary during the 2024-25 season.

Nance is a player who has been frequently on the move throughout his NBA career.

New Orleans originally acquired Nance in February 2022 as part of the CJ McCollum trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland originally acquired the seven-year veteran from the Cavaliers in August 2021 as part of a three-team sign-and-trade deal that also included the Chicago Bulls.

Nance was injured at the time he was dealt to the Pelicans. He had arthroscopic knee surgery on Feb. 11, 2022, and was out for six weeks. The 32-year-old appeared in 17 games upon returning, including the play-in tournament and six playoff games against the Phoenix Suns.

Despite having his playing time limited because of the injury, Nance averaged 7.3 points with a 55.1 field-goal percentage and 4.3 rebounds per game with the Pelicans in the regular season. He was excellent in the play-in game against the Los Angeles Clippers with 14 points and 16 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

Injuries have continued to limit Nance's availability. He averaged a career-low 19.9 minutes per game in 61 appearances during the 2023-24 season. His efficiency was good with a 57.3 field-goal percentage.

More injuries during the 2024-25 campaign limited Nance to 24 games thus far. He's been effective in the games he has played with 8.5 points on 51.6 percent shooting (44.7 percent three-point shooting).

Nance has historically been effective from two-point range, but his success with the Cavs suggested a new element to his game. His last two seasons with Cleveland were the only times he has made at least 35 percent of his attempts behind the arc before the 2023-24 campaign (41.5 percent on just 1.1 attempts per contest).

The Cavaliers will be banking on getting the best version of Nance. As long as the coaching staff knows how to make proper use of his size and shooting ability, this has the potential to be a solid buy-low move because he can provide valuable minutes off the bench.