The 6’7” forward from Auburn was a critical piece to their Final Four team.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly signed undrafted forward Chaney Johnson to an Exhibit-10 contract per Chris Fedor of cleveland.com. The 6’7” Johnson was an integral part of Auburn’s Final Four run this past spring, primarily playing off the bench. Johnson’s draft grade was more or less a consensus second round to undrafted.
For the 2024-2025 season, Johnson averaged 9.1 points 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 56.7% shooting from the floor.
An Exhibit-10 deal is essentially one spot below a two-way contract. The Cavs could promote Johnson to a two-way deal if he is playing well, but the pathway there is not clear. Should Johnson stick with Cleveland’s G League team, the Charge, for at least 60 days, he will earn an $85k bonus.
The 23-year-old Johnson profiles as a strong interior player, though with limited athleticism and upside. While scoring around the rim and rebounding are seen as strengths, he lacks the shooting touch and quickness that will be needed to move up to the next level. Think of Johnson as a classic “tweener” player, too big and slow to be a true small forward but too small to play power forward.
Johnson should get playing time in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and will likely get an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Charge. The Cavs also drafted former Duke point guard Tyrese Proctor and Saliou Niang of the Italian league, the latter of whom will be stashed in Italy. You can read more about Proctor and Niang here.