Cleveland Cavaliers ‘hoping the best’ for Kevin Porter Jr. but believe moving on ‘needed to happen’ for sake – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers have made the decision to move on from mercurial swingman Kevin Porter Jr. — a disappointing end to his promising and equally turbulent tenure in Cleveland. It’s a call the Cavs didn’t make hastily and one supported by players, many of whom tried to help Porter.

“We get it,” one player told cleveland.com Monday afternoon. “It needed to happen to maintain our culture. We’ve got things going in a positive direction right now.”

“It’s tough all the way around. It’s sad,” another player said. “Nobody likes to see this happen, but there was no other option. Just hoping the best for him.”

The Cavs have been fielding trade offers for the 2019 first-round pick and will continue to explore the market, sources say. If they can’t find a deal soon, Porter will be released, sources say.

“I think the players will be disappointed because they have a relationship with Kevin like we all do,” said Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who wouldn’t specifically confirm Porter’s status with the organization but certainly hinted at a departure. “I feel like the guys are bought into what we’re trying to do, and they’ll continue to show up and give us the effort that they’ve been giving us thus far.”

The Cavs spent months trying to help Porter get his life back together — even though one source recently labeled him an “energy drain.” On Thursday, Porter practiced with the team. The next night, he rejoined teammates on the bench, cheering for them and happily interacting with coaches and players during the 106-103 win against the New York Knicks — part of the organization’s reintegration plan.

It seemed like Porter was taking positive steps toward an eventual return. But his petty outburst in the locker room after the game, which was the culmination of countless missteps, including disrespecting teammates and staff members, became the tipping point.

Porter grew angry and started screaming when he entered the locker room and realized the team gave his old locker to new arrival Taurean Prince, who was acquired in the four-team James Harden blockbuster trade last week. A source says the decision was based on NBA seniority and spacing to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. General manager Koby Altman, whose relationship with Porter goes back to when he was a freshman at USC, came in and tried to talk through the issue. Porter wouldn’t calm down and the verbal exchange between Porter and Altman was “uncomfortable for everyone in there,” said a source who witnessed it.

Following that confrontation, Porter was told to clean out his locker and removed from the building. He did not practice the next day. The Cavs were off Sunday. They returned to the floor Monday without Porter, who has been banished from the team facility for now.

“We all want to see Kevin be successful, and I still feel that way,” Bickerstaff said. “So whatever it is that happens in the future for him, I hope nothing but the best for him. And it’s part of our responsibility as coaches to give everyone our all and try to make the best of every situation. I can say that we did that.”

Bickerstaff said the Cavs had a great day of practice. New arrivals Prince and Jarrett Allen participated for the first time. Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Dylan Windler were involved. Bickerstaff didn’t sense the Porter situation as any kind of distraction or dark cloud. As a team, the Cavs even watched a part of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, discussing how relative the speech is to now.

“We’ll keep building together,” Bickerstaff said. “All we want is the best for him moving forward. No matter what that looks like, we want the best for Kevin.”

Porter, 20, has yet to play this season due to personal issues and has grown frustrated because the team was holding him out. In August of 2020, he was accused of punching a woman in the face. In October, Porter posted a black square on his Instagram with the message “Do you ever wish to see the end of your time?” That incident led to Cavs officials and teammates reaching out to him, making sure he was OK and offering to help. He was involved in a one-car accident in November. He was arrested and charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, failure to control the vehicle and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. All of those charges were dismissed.

After averaging 10 points and 3.2 rebounds as a rookie last year in 23.2 minutes, Porter was considered one of the bright spots of this rebuild and a potential franchise cornerstone. The team picked up an option in Porter’s contract last month and he has one year at $1.7 million left on that deal. Now, despite an abundance of talent, his NBA future is in peril.

“Brutal news,” said a rival executive. “Just hope the kid makes the right decisions in his next opportunity or he may not get another one.”

The Cavs took a risk on Porter last June, believing in his talent and the structure they put in place. But the maturity issues, which caused his draft night tumble, persisted — and it goes far beyond a Nov. 15 arrest, a recent shouting match with Altman and a food-throwing tantrum. He wasn’t able to string together enough good days in a row and continued sabotaging his own progress.

Through it all, the Cavs stuck by him. Altman even called him a “good person.” They never suspended him. They didn’t fine him. They tried working with him, investing time, energy, effort and resources. They gave him numerous opportunities — maybe more than any other organization would’ve — to show he was emotionally capable of handling everything that comes with being an NBA player and professional. Bickerstaff took a special interest in Porter’s development. But the collective fatigue became too much and the concern about him being a negative influence was starting to grow.

“Hope he can turn things around, but he’s got to want to help himself first and foremost,” another player said.

Bickerstaff was asked Monday why it didn’t work in Cleveland. He’s even thought about his role and whether there was anything he could’ve done differently.

“I genuinely believe we did our best to make it work,” Bickerstaff said. “I can rest easy with that.”