The Cavs are set to lose another familiar face from their conference finals run, with veteran forward Larry Nance Jr. agreeing to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, sources told cleveland.com.
For Cleveland, the move closes the book on a second stint that was supposed to bring a little homegrown stability. Nance, an Akron native and Revere High School standout, returned to the Cavaliers last offseason on a one-year contract and was expected to provide depth and a steady voice in the locker room. Instead, he slipped down the rotation and appeared in just 35 games, posting career lows across the board.
There was recent buzz about Nance as a possible low-cost target for the team that eventually lands LeBron James in free agency, but sources say a return to Cleveland was never considered a realistic outcome.
His departure makes him the third member of Cleveland’s expensive roster to leave this offseason. Starting small forward Dean Wade signed a four-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, and swingman Keon Ellis joined the Brooklyn Nets.
Nance’s exit comes after a season in which the Cavs went 52-30, reached the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and for the first time without LeBron in more than three decades, then were swept by eventual NBA champion New York.
The Pacers will be the sixth team of Nance’s 11-year NBA career. He has also played for the Cavs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Pelicans and Hawks.
Across 581 career regular-season games, Nance has averaged 7.5 points on 53.5% shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals.
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