Bruce Brown Linked To Cavaliers After Cleveland Opens Roster Spot

Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com put Bruce Brown's name in the Cleveland Cavaliers' orbit on the Scarlet to the Land podcast, which posted the clip on Aug. 20.

"I heard veteran free agent Bruce Brown mentioned in connection to the Cavs," Pluto said.

The Cavaliers waived Cam Whitmore on Friday, league sources told HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, which opened a roster spot.

Brown spent last season in Denver with Peyton Watson, the forward Cleveland acquired in a five-team trade. He played all 82 games, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steal in 24.4 minutes. Denver paid him $3,080,921 on a one-year deal. The Nuggets also signed DeMar DeRozan to a one-year, $3.9 million contract, re-signed Spencer Jones, brought Tyus Jones back as backup point guard, and added Lonnie Walker IV and Alpha Diallo.

Brown's wing spot, a problem Cleveland has sought to fix since June, remains unsolved. Dean Wade signed a four-year, $39 million deal with Philadelphia, with partial guarantees later. He started 38 games last season, shooting 40.3% from 3-point range. Keon Ellis left for Brooklyn on a two-year, $18 million contract just hours before. Cleveland had acquired him and Dennis Schröder from Sacramento in February for De'Andre Hunter. Ellis averaged 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 29 games, six of which he started. Max Strus went to the Clippers in the Watson trade.

Cleveland drafted Meleek Thomas, a 6-foot-5 guard from Arkansas, 34th overall in June, and signed Mario Hezonja. New York swept the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

An eight-year veteran on a one-year minimum charges his team $2,449,421 against the cap. The Watson sign-and-trade hard-capped Cleveland at the first apron, and James Harden's contract and a rookie-minimum 14th man account for nearly all the room beneath it. Signing Brown would take another move.

The Whitmore move leaves Cleveland with 12 players on standard contracts. Harden is the 13th, and Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported that the Cavaliers plan to give the 14th spot to a draft-rights rookie. Cleveland holds the rights to Khalifa Diop and Ismael Kamagate.

Detroit drafted Brown 42nd overall in 2018 and signed him for three years and $3,919,177. He took Brooklyn's $4,736,102 qualifying offer in August 2021, signed a two-year, $13,281,950 deal with Denver the following July, and declined a $7.77 million player option in 2023 to sign with Indiana for two years and $45 million. Indiana sent him to Toronto that January with Kira Lewis Jr., Jordan Nwora, two 2024 first-round picks, and a 2026 first-rounder for Pascal Siakam.

He has played 539 regular-season games for six teams, averaging 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. Brown won a championship with Denver in 2023. He turned 30 on Aug. 15.