Will Luke Travers join Cavs this season? Hey, Chris! (2024)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s the latest edition of Hey, Chris!

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Hey, Chris: Will Luke Travers join the Cavs this season? — Eric, Westlake

Hey, Eric (and the many others who have asked): Social media was abuzz with news that the ever-popular Travers — Cleveland’s 56th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft — would be leaving Australian club Melbourne United after being granted release from his contract. The decision, one sources tell cleveland.com that Travers made in conjunction with the Cavaliers, allows the 22-year-old Aussie to explore all his options and determine the next step in his professional career.

Apart from three straight summer league runs with Cleveland, Travers has spent his entire career in Australia, gaining valuable professional experience and growing both as a player and person.

But he spoke openly last month about wanting to join the Cavs, using his most recent summer league appearance as a proverbial showcase.

“You’re trying to get there as soon as possible, and you don’t want to wait around and stuff,” Travers said when asked about his NBA intentions. “I’ve just been trying to put in the work. To make the NBA is always a dream and it’s going to be a goal of mine every year.

“The goal for me is to be a good role player in the NBA. I’m just trying to show that I can do that, whether it’s summer league, whether it’s in the NBA, it kind of doesn’t matter. I’m going to go out there and do the little things -- rebound, push the pace, make the extra pass.”

Sources say the Cavs are still trying to figure out what to do with Travers. They are hoping to finalize an agreement that works for both sides, with a two-way contract as the most logical fit, especially considering Cleveland’s current roster makeup.

Throughout the summer, the organization has been operating as a team with one theoretical full-time roster spot available. That spot has been earmarked for a cost-effective, playable, end-of-bench veteran who can provide depth and insurance while serving as one of new coach Kenny Atkinson’s locker room lieutenants — similar to the role Tristan Thompson played last year.

The plan is for Atkinson to meet with members of the front office when he returns from the Paris Olympics to further discuss what — or who — he wants with that 14th roster spot. The 15th spot will likely remain open for flexibility purposes — like usual. The Cavs are also still waiting on a resolution when it comes to restricted free agent Isaac Okoro — even though things are quiet on that front and the Cavs have made their stance to Okoro’s camp perfectly clear.

So, what does that mean for Travers?

While the full-time roster is already crowded, with nearly every theoretical spot solidified, the two-ways aren’t as certain.

The Cavs extended a two-way qualifying offer to 2023 second-round pick Emoni Bates — a young, still-developing player who is more suited to play in the G League. Because of the team’s two-way qualifying offer designation, any team that wishes to sign Bates would need to give him a standard NBA offer as opposed to a two-way contract, making a Bates return the most likely outcome.

Pete Nance, who finished last season on a two-way deal and was one of the leaders of the summer squad, could get the second two-way.

Then, perhaps, Travers as the third.

Per league rules, two-way players can be active for up to 50 of the 82 regular-season games. If a team isn’t carrying a full 15-man roster, its two-way players can only be active for a combined 90 games.

For Travers, would it be worth leaving Australia for a part-time spot, bouncing between the G League and NBA while getting the majority (if not all) of his playing time with the Charge? Does that scratch his NBA itch? Does he see that as valuable? Would it be a necessary first step?

Only he knows that answer.

Going back to Australia with a different team is an option. Playing in Europe is another.

But it wouldn’t be the first time someone from Australia took the NBA two-way route. Last month, Jack McVeigh — a 28-year-old forward and emerging star for the Tasmania JackJumpers — agreed to a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets. Unlike Travers, McVeigh — a member of the 12-man Australian national team — went undrafted and was free to sign with anyone. The Cavs still control Travers’ rights and remain invested in his development.

Nearly five years ago, Travers was regarded as one of Australia’s most sought-after basketball prospects, turning down interested colleges and choosing to play professionally in his home country. He originally signed with the Perth Wildcats in the NBL as a developmental player, spending four seasons there before inking a three-year deal with Melbourne United in 2023, where he played alongside old Cavaliers fan favorite Matthew Dellavedova — the 2016 NBA champion who spoke very highly of Travers during a conversation ahead of Cleveland’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers in April.

“He’s an NBA player,” Dellavedova told cleveland.com.

We will see if the Cavs — or another NBA team that would be interested in acquiring his rights — agree with that sentiment.