Cavaliers Make Tough Decisions With Roster, Player Cuts

The Cleveland Cavaliers waive Sharife Cooper, Justin Powell, Pete Nance, Zhaire Smith, Rob Edwards, Aleem Ford, and Devontae Shuler.

Training camp is finished and the preseason ended on Friday night. Next up for the Cleveland Cavaliers is their season opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

The team had to make a few tough decisions to get their roster down to 15 players before the regular begins. Before these moves, Cleveland was carrying 19 players on their roster. Those cuts came on Saturday as the team prepared their roster for the regular season.  

This is who the Cavs ended up waiving from the NBA roster:

• PG - Sharife Cooper
• SG - Justin Powell
• F - Pete Nance
• F - Zhaire Smith
• SG - Rob Edwards
• F - Aleem Ford
• SG - Devontae Shule

None of these players being let go comes as a big surprise considering how packed the Cavaliers' roster already is. Depth is looking like it'll be a strength for the Cavaliers this season and J.B. Bickerstaff has already admitted that he could run an 11-man rotation if he wanted.

Sharife Cooper was the only payer out of this group who got consistent playing time during Cleveland's four preseason games. He played in two of their games averaging 3.5 points and 4.0 assists in just over 10 minutes a night.

Oct 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Zhaire Smith (19) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Patty Mills (8) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Powell, Nance, and Smith all got playing time but none of them were on the floor as much a game as Cooper was.

What's next for this group who won't be on the Opening Night roster? It feels likely that we'll see them on the Cleveland Charge roster once their season gets going. The Charge could have a fun and exciting roster if that's the case.