Cavs Make Roster Move Before NBA Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 9:21 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They currently own the best record in the East at 61-15, but the defending champs Boston Celtics still have a glimmer of hope for the top spot as they sit five games behind the Cavs in the standings.

At this point, however, there's no denying that Cleveland has already set its sights on what they're hoping will be a deep playoff run. So much so, that the team reportedly made a decision on Thursday night with regard to the last available spot on their roster.

According to league insider Shams Charania, the Cavs have agreed to sign veteran forward Chuma Okeke on an undisclosed deal.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and former first-round pick Chuma Okeke have agreed to a deal, filling the East leaders' final open roster spot, sources tell ESPN. Okeke averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for NBA G League Westchester this season. pic.twitter.com/WuW3DAWLAM
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2025

Okeke, the No. 16 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, played seven games for the Philadelphia 76ers this season before the team waived him. During that span, the former Auburn star produced averages of 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.4 minutes per contest.

Okeke is no star, and it remains to be seen if he will be able to earn a spot in the rotation for the Cavs in their coming games and in the postseason. However, the fact that Cleveland decided to fill their final roster spot with the 6-foot-6 forward means that he will be part of their plans moving forward.

Okeke spent the first four seasons of his career with the Orlando Magic, where he averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Cleveland returns to action on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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