FILE – Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) dribbles the ball previous Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, left, throughout the first half of Recreation 3 within the Japanese Convention semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs in Indianapolis, Could 9, 2025. (AP Photograph/Michael Conroy, File)
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers can have a pair of acquainted gamers again subsequent NBA season.
The Cavs introduced on Sunday they’ve re-signed Sam Merrill to a four-year contract and introduced again Larry Nance Jr. for a second stint on a one-year deal.
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Cleveland’s acquisition of Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for Isaac Okoro was additionally made official on the primary day of the signing interval.
Merrill averaged 7.2 factors and made 137 3-pointers in 71 video games final season. The fifth-year guard had 27 factors and 9 3s on Feb. 2 at Dallas.
Merrill was the ultimate decide within the 2020 draft by New Orleans earlier than becoming a member of the Cavaliers in March 2023.
Retaining Merrill grew to become a precedence after Ty Jerome agreed to cope with Memphis.
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Nance spent elements of 4 seasons with the Cavs from 2018 by means of ’21. He appeared in 182 video games, together with 76 begins, and averaged 9.5 factors and seven.5 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 ahead/middle additionally was a part of Cleveland’s final NBA Finals workforce in 2018.
Nance performed for Atlanta final season and averaged 8.5 factors and 4.3 rebounds in 24 video games with three begins. He was the twenty seventh general decide by the Los Angeles Lakers within the 2015 NBA draft, and has additionally been with Portland and New Orleans throughout his 10-year profession.
The Nances are certainly one of solely two households in NBA historical past to have three members play for a similar franchise. Larry Nance Sr. was with Cleveland from 1988-94 and Pete Nance performed there from 2023-24.
Nance Jr. will once more put on No. 22 with the Cavs, the identical quantity worn by his father, which was retired in 1995.
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Ball offers Cleveland a veteran level guard. Darius Garland is prone to miss the beginning of the common season after present process surgical procedure on his left large toe earlier this month.
Ball averaged 7.6 factors, 3.4 rebounds and three.3 assists in 35 video games this previous season after lacking the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns due to a left knee damage. The 27-year previous Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgical procedures failed to repair an damage he suffered throughout his first season in Chicago in 2021-22.
He has one 12 months remaining on his contract with a workforce choice for the 2026-27 season.
