George Niang Signs Three-Year Deal With Cavaliers

George Niang Signs Three-Year Deal With Cavaliers

Forward Georges Niang has agreed to a three-year, $26-million dollar deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Free agent F George Niang has agreed on a three-year, $26 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Niang leaves Sixers for another Eastern contender. pic.twitter.com/PsF6euvmQV

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023

This still doesn’t address the Cavaliers’ biggest rotational need, which is an actual backup big-man, but Niang provides some much-needed size and floor spacing in Cleveland.

Last season, Niang averaged 8.2 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game on just under 20 minutes a night. Niang has been one of the best spot-up shooters in all of basketball since breaking into Utah’s rotation in 2018. He’s one of just three players to have shot over 40% from behind the arc in each of the last five seasons. He also shot 41.2% on catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts last season. Among players with 4.5 or more attempts per game, Niang’s mark ranked 10th best in the NBA.

Last season, Niang ranked in the 86th percentile among players on spot-up opportunities. He averaged 4.5 points per game on a 60.8% effective field goal percentage. Only 15 players in the NBA averaged more points per game on spot-up attempts more efficiently than Niang.

Defensively, Niang can match up against threes and fours but is much more suited to guard power forwards. He’s decently agile for a guy his size, but there’s a reason people call him the minivan. He kind of moves like one. Still, he feels like a definitive upgrade from Dean Wade and has legitimate playoff experience.

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Spacing was clearly one of Cleveland’s biggest issues in the playoffs last season and Niang provides some versatility and floor spacing that should open the floor up for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

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