Cleveland Cavaliers sign Craig Porter Jr. to four-year contract

Anthony Valmoria
Feb 14 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed rookie Craig Porter Jr. to a four-year contract, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Porter, an undrafted guard out of Wichita State, has been instrumental for the Cavs this season by filling in for then-injured point guard Darius Garland. He averaged 11.4 points, 7.4 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in five games as a starter.

Porter recently opened up to our Alex Kennedy about his fantastic rookie campaign.

“I am very surprised, because coming in on a two-way [contract] and spending training camp with everybody healthy, you don't necessarily think that four or five people are gonna get hurt and that's gonna be your first opportunity within the first two or three weeks of your first season,” Porter told Basketball News. “Even to not play in the G League was kind of crazy to me – it was just so fast-paced and it just caught me off guard. I didn't think it was gonna be an opportunity that fast, but I figured it would be at some point.

“Once the first one [opportunity] came, I started playing well and I felt like I was ready. And then a couple of games later, I started some games and then I started earning more and more trust from everybody. Then, it was just like, 'Okay, I know I'm with the Cavs full-time now.'"

Porter will now be part of the Cavaliers for the foreseeable future after getting his two-way contract converted to a four-year standard deal due to his solid play. The 6-foot-2 point guard is averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds on 50/33/70 shooting splits in 32 games this season.

“I did five years in college, so I feel like I just have been put in every situation that can prepare me to be a pro," Porter said. "I’ve played the role of being just a role player, being just a defender, somebody who just sits in the corner… I'm just prepared for any role that I'm put in. I feel like nothing’s too big for me to handle. Any situation I've been put in so far, I’ve proven that I can just handle it and my maturity’s probably the biggest thing that stuck out during all that."