Insider Reveals What Javonte Green Will Add To Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t done making moves.

With the final stretch of the season ahead, Kenny Atkinson wants to make sure to bolster his defense.

With Javonte Green and the New Orleans Pelicans expected to agree to a buyout, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported that he’s likely to join the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.

This is another major pickup for the Cavs, who were looking to add more size, athleticism, and defense to their wings.

The Cavs already made a move to help with that when they traded Georges Niang, Caris LeVert, multiple second-round picks, and a couple of pick swaps to get De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks.

Now, with Green also on the premises, they will have another strong wing stopper to match up with other contenders in the East, says Fedor:

“The signing would give Cleveland more depth on the wing, adding Green to a cluster of players that features trade deadline prize De’Andre Hunter, defense-first swingman Isaac Okoro — who could return from a shoulder injury on Thursday night in Brooklyn — do-it-all forward Dean Wade and starting small forward Max Strus, turning a one-time positional weakness into a strength for potential postseason matchups against wing-heavy opponents Boston, New York, Orlando and Milwaukee,” Fedor said.

The Cavaliers were also tied to the likes of Cam Johnson, Lonzo Ball, and Marcus Smart.

Green, who’s about to become a free agent, is now expected to be bought out by the lottery-bound Pelicans after not being traded.

He’s averaged 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in 50 games this season, mostly as a reserve.

The Cavs also added G-League standout Nae’Qwan Tomlin on Wednesday, so this signing will bring their roster to the allowed maximum of 15 players, but they will still be under the luxury tax.

While not a star, Green will provide this team with another strong defender off the bench to match up with the myriad of athletic wings they’ll have to come across in the postseason.