The Cleveland Cavaliers are making moves with an eye toward development and depth, officially signing forward Tristan Enaruna to a two-way contract just a day after parting ways with Chris Livingston. For a team still shaping its identity and roster flexibility, this is a low-risk, high-upside swing on a player who’s been trending in the right direction.
Enaruna, 24, has taken the long road to this opportunity. After going undrafted out of Cleveland State in 2024, he spent the past two training camps on Exhibit 10 deals - first with the Celtics in 2024, then with the Cavs in 2025. In both cases, he didn’t crack the final roster and was waived in October, landing instead in the G League with each team’s affiliate.
But here’s where things get interesting: Enaruna didn’t just hang around in the G League - he’s been evolving. Last season with the Maine Celtics, he got his feet wet with 46 appearances, showing flashes but still raw.
This season with the Cleveland Charge, though, he’s been a different player. Through 23 games, the 6'7" forward is averaging 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while logging just over 30 minutes a night.
And the efficiency? Night and day from last year.
He’s shooting 53.3% from the field, 35.5% from deep, and 75% from the line - a major leap from his .466/.294/.588 slash line a season ago.
That kind of growth doesn’t go unnoticed. His ability to score at all three levels, combined with his size and defensive activity, gives the Cavs a versatile piece who can contribute in spurts while continuing to develop.
Cleveland has been strategic with its two-way players this season. Even though Chris Livingston didn’t see much action before being waived, the Cavs have already used 69 of the 90 available “under-15” games - a rule that limits the total number of games two-way players can be active when a team is carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts.
With Enaruna now in the fold, he’ll be eligible to be active for up to 22 games for the rest of the season, assuming he stays on the two-way deal and the roster makeup holds. But to fully maximize that availability, the Cavs will eventually need to fill their 15th standard roster spot. Right now, Nae’Qwan Tomlin (44 active games) and Luke Travers (19 active games) round out the rest of Cleveland’s two-way trio.
Bottom line: Enaruna’s signing is a reward for performance and potential. The Cavs are betting on his upward trajectory - and if his G League improvement translates to the NBA level, they might have found a diamond in the developmental rough.