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Kevin Porter Jr. to be traded or released by Cleveland Cavaliers after a bizarre outburst

NBA rumors: Cavaliers trade Kevin Porter Jr. to Rockets
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kevin Porter Jr. will reportedly be released or traded by the team this week, following a bizarre outburst that saw the 20-year-old throw food in the locker room and confronted the team’s general manager.

Porter, the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, had yet to play for the Cavaliers this season due to an extended absence for personal reasons. Now, the former USC Trojans star may have trouble finding an NBA roster spot after a strange incident in the team’s locker room.

Cleveland Cavaliers expected to release former first-round pick Kevin Porter Jr.

Over the weekend, the Cavaliers completed the four-team blockbuster James Harden trade with the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers. Cleveland needed to make room in its locker room for the newly-acquired Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen with the deal official.

According to The Athletic, Kevin Porter Jr. walked into the team’s locker room and discovered his old spot was given to Prince. With Prince taking that spot, the team relocated Porter’s belongings to a wall where end-of-bench players stay. At that point, the outburst began.

The 6-foot-4 guard began yelling at different people inside the locker room. He then grabbed food and started throwing it around the room in a rage.

At that point, general manager Koby Altman entered the locker room and confronted Porter. Staring down the team’s top decision-maker, Porter continued to be combative and kept causing a commotion. Shortly after, coach J.B. Bickerstaff came in and was reportedly disgusted by the player’s actions.

Porter Jr. was also involved in a one-car accident in November. Shortly after the incident, law enforecement charged him with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, failure to control the vehicle and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. However, those charges were dropped in December.

There was no timetable for his return to the court before this incident. In 50 games across his rookie season, Porter Jr. averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

After spending the weekend trying to trade him without any success, the Cavaliers will likely release him within the next few days. While another NBA team might be interested in taking a chance on his raw talent, the behavioral issues may prove costly to his career.

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