The Cleveland Charge made a move before their season gets going, landing the returning player rights to Zack Austin in a trade with the Oklahoma City Blue.
According to the deal, Oklahoma City acquired the returning player rights to guard Killian Hayes, forward Justyn Hamilton and center Babatunde Akingbola from Cleveland in exchange for Austin’s rights and a 2026 second-round draft pick.
Austin is the piece Cleveland clearly wanted to keep around. The source material points out that the last two second-round picks in the G-League draft have not produced any major names, and the Charge seem to believe they found a player worth holding onto. Austin spent the summer and fall with the organization before his rights were moved to Cleveland, which finally locks him in with the team.
He brings some eye-catching production with him, too. Austin averaged 10-3-2 for the OKC Blue in the Tip-Off Tournament last season.
In six regular-season games, he played 35 minutes per night and put up 20-5-5 with five steals, while shooting 51/42/83. At 6-foot-7, the wing is described as someone to keep an eye on.
The trade also opens up more runway for other guards on the roster. With Hayes gone, the Charge can give more minutes and opportunities to players like Kadary Richmond and Curtis Jones. Darius Brown II had handled a heavy playmaking load after Hayes left, but he is now in the EuroLeague.
Cleveland is coming off a 23-13 regular season and finished third in the East in 2025-26. The Charge didn’t find postseason success, but the group enters the new campaign with a familiar core and some expectations around its younger talent.
That includes Austin, who is said to have “incredible bounce” and figures to be a major part of what Cleveland is trying to build. Ernest Udeh Jr. and Tristan Enaruna, both on two-way deals, are also expected to take on larger roles.
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