Cleveland Cavaliers Sign Former Atlanta Hawks Guard

Sharife Cooper, who played with the Atlanta Hawks on a two-way contract during the 2021-22 season, has signed a training camp deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, former Atlanta Hawks guard Sharife Cooper has signed a training camp deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Charania: “The Cleveland Cavaliers are signing guard Sharife Cooper to a training camp deal, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Cooper, 21, was drafted 48th overall by the Hawks last year and he ended up playing in a total of 13 regular season games, only scoring 7 total points in 39 minutes of action.

In the G League with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks affiliates, Cooper averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 assists per game in 22 total games.

In order to make the Cavaliers roster for this upcoming year, Sharife Cooper will really need to impress in training camp. Cleveland has both of their two-way roster spots currently occupied and they sit at 14 players under contract with two of these contracts having non-guaranteed clauses in their deals.

Cooper was recently waived by the Hawks in July after his performance in Summer League. In Las Vegas, he only averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 assists per game in about 20.9 minutes per game.

The Cavaliers have been making a lot of headlines this offseason, most notably by trading for three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

With Mitchell on their roster, Cleveland enters the 2022-23 NBA season with three All-Stars from a season ago, as well as a budding All-Star in 2021 third overall pick Evan Mobley. 

Cleveland will begin the 2022-23 season on October 19 up in Toronto as they get set to take on the Toronto Raptors.