Nik Stauskas, Cavaliers Agree to Contract After NBA Trade Deadline
Nik Stauskas is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland announced Monday it signed Stauskas after Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported the sides agreed to a deal for the remainder of the season.
The Cavs initially acquired Stauskas and Wade Baldwin Feb. 4 from the Portland Trail Blazers for Rodney Hood. Cleveland then shipped them off to Houston in a three-way deal, and the Rockets moved Stauskas and Baldwin one more time to the Indiana Pacers at the deadline.
The Pacers waived both players immediately after the trade was completed. Stauskas was able to sign in Cleveland because of the Rockets-Pacers trade.
The 2014 lottery pick averaged 6.1 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 41.9 percent from the floor in Portland. He previously played for the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets but never quite caught on as an elite floor spacer.
Despite all of the movement over the past week, Stauskas may have found a perfect fit in Cleveland. The Cavs currently have the NBA's third-worst record and could wind up giving Stauskas some time in the rotation. They have ample guard depth, but Stauskas may play his way past Brandon Knight and Matthew Dellavedova in the rotation.
At the very least, picking a team with some potential playing time will give him a fighting chance to impress before hitting free agency this summer.
