Report: Cavaliers to trade or release Kevin Porter Jr. after food-throwing locker room outburst
The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to either trade or release second-year player Kevin Porter Jr. after an outburst in the locker room on Friday, per a report by The Athletic.
Porter reportedly became angry Friday when he entered the Cavaliers’ home locker room to find his old locker was given to Taurean Prince, per the report. Cleveland acquired the sixth-year forward from the Brooklyn Nets last week as part of the blockbuster James Harden trade.
Porter reportedly throws food in locker room
Sources said Porter, whose locker was moved to the wall where the younger, end-of-bench players reside, began yelling and at one point threw food.
Sources said general manager Koby Altman came into the locker room and confronted Porter, and the player remained combative with his boss. The Cavs spent the weekend trying to trade him.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff heard the commotion in the locker room from his office and came in, shocked and disgusted by what he heard.
Porter, 20, has not played this season for personal reasons. He was involved in a one-car accident in November and charged with “improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, transport loaded firearm in a motor vehicle accessible to operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle.”
Those charges were dismissed. Days later, two women filed a police report saying they were attacked by Porter in an incident unrelated to the car accident.
Porter averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 50 games last year as a rookie. He shot 44.2 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from 3-point range. He was the 30th overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks out of USC and was later traded to Cleveland.
Prince is averaging 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists over his career with the Atlanta Hawks and Nets. In 12 games this season, the 26-year-old averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists while shooting 40.5 percent.
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