Cleveland Cavaliers forward Javonte Green had barely arrived in Cleveland before the reality of joining the Cavs had hit him. Things are sharp and biting.
“It’s cold,” Green said with a smile, standing inside the Cavs’ practice facility before the team faced the Memphis Grizzlies.
The cold was temporary. The opportunity in front of him with the Cavs? That was what mattered.
“Walking around, just a little tour, everything’s top of the art,” Green said, taking it all in, his voice carrying a mix of admiration and gratitude. “It’s a blessing that I can be here and be a part of it.”
A week ago, none of this seemed possible.
As the trade deadline loomed, murmurs grew louder. Multiple contenders circled Green, eyeing his versatility, his defense, and something intangible: his toughness.
However, when the dust settled and the annual NBA trade deadline came and went, he was still in New Orleans. There was no deal with a contender and no deal that would lead to a playoff push. Instead, Green was stuck on a fading season with a hapless, lottery-bound New Orleans Pelicans team.
For many, it might have been a dead end. For Green, it was a second chance waiting to be claimed. New Orleans worked with him on a buyout, cutting him loose. And the moment he hit the open market, one destination stood above the rest: Cleveland.
It was the culture. The chemistry. The unselfishness. The relentless pursuit of a championship.
“I just felt like here was the best fit for me,” Green said. “I’m a very team-oriented player, and I think this team has that. I think it could be an easy fit for me.”
When the dust settled and Green was officially a free agent, the Cavs felt the same way.
Kenny Atkinson was key for the Cavs landing Javonte Green
Cleveland had explored trading for Green ahead of the deadline, with head coach Kenny Atkinson leading the charge. When that didn’t happen, the Cavs stayed patient. They watched, they waited, and when the buyout came through, Cleveland didn’t hesitate.
But it wasn’t just a transactional call. It was personal.
Their connection wasn’t built in trade talks or scouting meetings. It was forged in the trenches of a comeback.
Last season when Green was fighting through rehab after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. Back then, he wasn’t in the NBA. He was grinding in the G League, playing for Santa Cruz Warriors, trying to prove he belonged again.
Atkinson noticed. Not just the player, but the work. The resilience.
“Kenny is a passionate guy,” Green said. “We had conversations last year. He saw how hard I was working to get back to where I am now. I was just trying to get my body right, and working on my mental, and he was there for that. He’s about bringing out the best in people.”
That belief never wavered. Even with Cleveland’s rotation already packed, Atkinson saw a place for him. Not as a star, not as a centerpiece, but as a weapon—one that could bring toughness, energy, and defensive grit to a team built for the playoffs.
Javonte Green believes he can help Cleveland make a championship push
Green, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he had carved out a role in New Orleans, playing 50 games—including 18 starts—after signing a one-year prove-it deal last summer.
He averaged 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while shooting 44.6% from the field and 35.2% from deep. But his real value came in the little things—loose balls, hustle plays, defensive stops. He ranked second on the Pelicans in both steals (55) and blocks (30).
When asked what he brings to a Cavs squad sitting atop the East at 46-10, Green didn’t hesitate.
“Energy. Toughness,” he said. The same qualities that got him here in the first place.
“It’s nothing that they’re missing or anything,” Green added. “Just something that my game brings.”
With Green in the fold, Cleveland’s wing depth, once a glaring weakness, now looks like a strength. He joins De’Andre Hunter, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, and starting small forward Max Strus, giving the Cavs a versatile arsenal for the wing-heavy matchups that will define their postseason—Boston, New York, Orlando, and Milwaukee.
But Green doesn’t see competition within his new team. He sees something greater.
“I feel like good players bring out the best in everybody,” Green said. “Just trying to learn from the things I don’t bring to the table that those guys have, and just how they play. I feel like we can learn from each other.”
Cleveland was already a contender. Already a force. Now, they have another fighter in the locker room. Another piece of their championship puzzle – just in time for the war ahead.
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