Finalizing their 15-man roster ahead of the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced on Saturday that they have waived five players, one of which is former Atlanta Hawks guard Sharife Cooper.
Along with Cooper, the Cavs waived Mamadi Diakite, Nate Hinton, Jamorko Pickett and R.J. Nembhard, who had been signed to a two-way contract with the team.
Cooper, 21, was originally drafted 48th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 NBA Draft and was being labeled as a key backcourt reserve behind Trae Young coming out of Auburn. However, health ended up being a factor in the young guard’s demise in Atlanta, as he only ended up playing in 13 games this past season with the Hawks and was waived by the team this offseason.
In the G League with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks affiliates, Cooper averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 assists per game in 22 total games.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in the news quite a bit this offseason, as they traded for former Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.
Pairing Donovan Mitchel with All-Star Darius Garland in the backcourt and also having both Evan Mobley and All-Star center Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt, the Cleveland Cavaliers are hopeful that they can turn themselves into a real title threat in the Eastern Conference for many years to come.
This young, high-level team will open up the 2022-23 NBA season on October 19 when they travel to take on the Toronto Raptors.
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