While Craig Porter Jr. wasn’t exactly happy to see teammates like Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis leave the Cavaliers this offseason, he recognizes that their departures give him a clear path to earning the team’s backup point guard job this fall, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
“In this job, you hate to see guys go, but it’s kind of how it is — something has to happen to get an opportunity,” Porter said. “The opportunity is there and I have to go take it. Honestly, it’s all in my hands. … They’re giving me an opportunity to showcase the things I can do and things I’ve worked on the last two or three years. I want to set the tone and let everybody know I can be the leader of the second unit and impact winning basketball, whether it be scoring or doing a lot of the little things I do.”
As Fedor details, Porter is competing with a pair of recent second-round picks in Tyrese Proctor (No. 49 in the 2025 draft) and Meleek Thomas (No. 34 in 2026). Proctor has put on several pounds of muscle this offseason, per Fedor, while Thomas was one of the NBA’s Summer League standouts in July. Still, Porter has the edge in terms of NBA experience, having appeared in 166 games for the Cavs since 2023, and he has plenty of fans throughout the organization
“We think the world of him and his work ethic and who he is as a person,” president of basketball operations Koby Altman said of the fourth-year guard. “He has a great opportunity in front of him, but we can’t promise anything. This is the NBA. It’s such a competitive league and it’s really competitive in that gym and in-house as we continue to add more talent to that group.”
If Porter takes the job and runs with it, it would bode well for his future in the NBA beyond 2026/27. He’s entering the final year of his current contract and will be extension-eligible through June 30 before potentially reaching unrestricted free agency.
We have more from around the Central:
- During an interview with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on SiriusXM NBA Radio new Bucks guard Tyler Herro said he was “kind of pushing” for the trade that sent him from Miami to Milwaukee as part of a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. “I wanted to come home, have a fresh start,” said the Milwaukee native. “I’m glad it happened, honestly. Just being able to come here, like I said, get a fresh start, a new coaching staff. Really, everyone in the building is kind of new, and we’re all just, you know, embracing this new culture that we’re implementing.”
- After making arguably the biggest trade of the offseason, could the Bucks be a major player in the in-season trade market too? Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports considers that question, pointing out that big men Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware would likely both draw significant interest around the league if Milwaukee is open to inquiries. Turner, who had a somewhat underwhelming first year with the Bucks, is the more likely trade candidate, O’Connor acknowledges, and could increase his value with a strong first half.
- Dailyn Swain had a disastrous Summer League showing in July, making 4-of-31 shots (12.9%) and failing to make a single three-pointer (0-of-7). As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune writes (subscription required), the Bulls rookie is eager to put that performance behind him and is hoping to earn a spot in Tiago Splitter’s regular season rotation. He has made a strong case so far in training camp. “It’s night and day,” Splitter said. “It’s not even close. He was not himself at Summer League. We all understand that. He’s been great. He’s been going through the little stuff to prove what he’s got to do. … Once he’s acclimated and feeling good about himself and confident, he’s a different player. And that’s what we expect.”