CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers made some roster moves Friday, signing one returning player and two others, according to team President of Baseball Operations Koby Altman.
The Cavs signed Ricky Rubio, Robin Lopez and Raul Neto.
“Our focus during this offseason has been centered around making this team better and finding the best talent to help strengthen this roster,” said Altman. “When you think about the impact Ricky had on our team last season, his addition became a priority to bring back to Cleveland. We also feel Robin and Raul are both high character guys who have played a great amount of meaningful basketball and will bring the right balance of seasoned experience and depth to our emerging young core. We are excited for Ricky’s return and welcome Robin and Raul to the Cavaliers family.”
Rubio
The Associated Press reported last week that Rubio had agreed to come back to Cleveland on a multi-year contract.
Rubio, who was instrumental in Cleveland's turnaround last season before injuring his left knee, agreed to a three-year, $18.4 million deal, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the agreement.
The 31-year-old Rubio was having one of his best NBA seasons before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against New Orleans in December. Rubio was a mentor to Cavs All-Star guard Darius Garland and his reunion in Cleveland with former Minnesota teammate Kevin Love had helped the forward's comeback.
It's not known how far Rubio is in his recovery or if he'll be ready for the start of next season. Rubio has twice torn the ACL in his left knee.
Rubio averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 assists in 34 games with Cleveland, which acquired him in a trade last summer with Minnesota.
The Cavs credited his leadership in helping the team's 22-win improvement from the previous season. Cleveland went 44-38, but a late-season stumble prevented the team from making the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Lopez
Lopez has had 603 starts and appeared in 939 games during his 14 years in the NBA, having played for Orlando, New Orleans, Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Portland, Washington and Phoenix.
Last season while in Orlando, Lopez had nine starts and appeared in 36 games. He averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17 minutes.
Neto
Neto has had 98 starts in 387 games in his seven seasons in the NBA. He's played for Utah, Philadelphia and Washington.
Last season, Neto averaged 7.5 points, 3.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 19.6 minutes.
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