The Cavaliers officially signed second-round pick Emoni Bates to a two-way contract, the team announced Friday in a press release.
A former consensus five-star recruit and one of the top high school prospects in the country, Bates saw his stock slip when he averaged 9.7 points per game on .386/.329/.646 shooting as a freshman at Memphis in 2021-22, then was arrested on gun charges in September 2022.
Bates ultimately had his felony charge reduced to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 18 months of probation. The 6-foot-10 forward had a bounce-back season on the court in 2022-23 after transferring to Eastern Michigan, putting up 19.2 PPG on .405/.330/.782 shooting in 30 games (33.8 MPG). He declared for the draft as an early entrant following his sophomore year and was selected 49th overall by Cleveland.
While he’s no longer viewed as a future NBA star, the former High School Player of the Year still has intriguing upside. He’ll likely begin his professional career by seeing plenty of action for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, as a rookie.
The Cavaliers, who also confirmed the signings of Isaiah Mobley and Craig Porter to two-way deals, have become the first NBA team to fill all three two-way slots. The new collective bargaining agreement allows clubs to carry up to three players on two-way contracts instead of just two.
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