CLEVELAND — Pete Nance will get another chance to live his NBA dream.
On Monday afternoon, the day before officially returning from the 2024 All-Star break, the Cavs signed Nance to a two-way contract.
The 6-foot-11 Nance, who inked a 10-day contract with Cleveland last month before returning back to the G League affiliate Charge, will now split his time between the NBA and G League while also getting a pay raise.
Per league rules, teams can carry up to three players on two-way contracts who are eligible to be active for up to 50 of their team’s 82 regular season games. If a team isn’t carrying a full 15-man roster, its two-way players can only be active for a combined 90 games. Because Nance is signing midway through the season, his contract is prorated, allowing him to be eligible for around 20 games.
The Cavs had an open two-way slot after converting point guard Craig Porter Jr. to a standard NBA deal.
The son of franchise legend Larry Nance Sr. and brother of current New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr., Pete has appeared in 29 games this season for the Cleveland Charge. He is averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 blocks. On Jan. 10 at Indiana, he posted the first Charge triple-double in more than two years, tallying 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
During his first stint with the Cavs in that 10-day window, Nance made two appearances, logging about four total minutes.
Undrafted in 2023 after spending his final collegiate season in North Carolina, the Revere High School product, who grew up a diehard Cavs fan attending countless games as a youngster, signed an exhibit 10 contract, spending Summer League and training camp with the Cavs before starting his professional career in the G League.
Ahead of his first career NBA game last month, Nance spoke with cleveland.com about carrying on the family legacy.
“I think about it all the time,” he said. “I use it as motivation. It’s really cool to follow in my dad and brother’s footsteps. It definitely means a lot to me. I’m appreciative of them and have used them as huge guideline in this journey. But at the same time, I definitely want to make a name for myself and make my own path.
“That’s kind of what I’ve always been battling my whole life, being under their shadow and having their name be mentioned in the same sentence as mine forever. It’s always been that way. When I was younger, I struggled with that a lot. Everybody always compared me to my dad and brother and having certain expectations from me as a player because of my last name. But things like this, I’m getting closer and closer to making that name for myself.”
From G League to 10-day to two-way, Nance is headed there.
And now he may get a unique opportunity to play against his big brother and mentor, something both have discussed in the past, as the Cavs will travel to New Orleans on March 13 for the final matchup this season with the Pelicans.
“I’m easily the best shooter in the family,” Nance told cleveland.com in an interview earlier this season. “If you want to talk about shooting, it’s me without a question. If you want to talk about jumping, being athletic and dunking, I’m totally out of the conversation.”
The Cavs will play the first game of the unofficial second half on Thursday at home against the Orlando Magic. They are 36-17, second place in the Eastern Conference.
