Cavaliers Cut Ties With 6-Foot-7, 26-Year-Old Forward

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CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 12: Riley Minix #12 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over Sharife Cooper #13 of the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Rocket Arena on April 12, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: The Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 130-117. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are making some moves with their roster in the early portion of the season — and when one player comes, another player has to go.

Earlier this week, the Cavs reached agreement on a contract with Norchad Omier — it’s a two-way deal, meaning he’ll spend some time in the NBA and some time in the G League.

Omier’s contract, though, forced the Cavaliers to have to get rid of someone else.

That player is Riley Minix.

Cavs Cut Ties With Riley Minix

GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 12: Will Riley #27 of the Washington Wizards shoots over Riley Minix #12 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter at Rocket Arena on April 12, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Cavs chose on Thursday to waive Minix, according to NBA reporter Michael Scotto.

Minix, 26, is a 6-foot-7 forward originally from Vero Beach, Florida.

He played college ball at Southeastern University and then at Morehead State, and he went undrafted.

Minix has grinded his way into the NBA. His debut came with one game in the 2024-25 season for the San Antonio Spurs.

Minix then got three more games with the Spurs in 2025-26.

He joined the Cavs for six games in the back half of last season, averaging 4.3 points per game when he got to play.

So far this season, Minix played in just one game for the Cavs. He was on the floor for six minutes and missed all three shots he took, but he did grab three offensive rebounds.

The sequence of events is actually quite unlucky for Minix, because the newly signed Omier had originally agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. If that had happened, Minix might still be in place. But at the last second, Omier pivoted to the Cavs. That started the domino effect that led to Minix’s release.

Don’t Forget Minix’s Name

NBA teams do often mix and match on their two-way deals throughout a season. Minix has a decent chance to get such a contract somewhere else.

And eventually, the parts sometimes move around enough that players return from whence they came.

This isn’t the first time Omier has been in the Cavs’ building, for example. They had originally signed him as an undrafted player before he went elsewhere, but now Omier is back.

Teams feel comfortable with what they already know, especially on the back portion of the roster. So at some point, Minix could end up back in Cleveland. For now, he’s on his way out.