LeBron James, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty. All names are associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. But what about the players who aren’t remembered? Or rather, remembered for their time spent with other teams. Here are the ten most obscure Cleveland Cavaliers players who are remembered more (or maybe exclusively) for their time with other teams, ranked by the amount of games played.
Most famous for his stint in Boston, Isaiah Thomas immediately followed those sizzling Celtic seasons for a very brief stretch in Cleveland. As a Cav he averaged 14.7 points, just over two rebounds and 4.5 assists. He was then moved to the Los Angeles Lakers and moved around the league until working his way back to L.A. to finish his career (2021-22).
Next, topping Thomas by just a game is Derrick Rose. Rose played in Cleveland during the tail end of LeBron’s second stretch there. He averaged 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in games played. Due to his subpar performance and injury issues, he quickly ended up in Minnesota.
Another famous Celtic, Rajon Rondo, was traded by the Lakers in the twilight of his career to Cleveland. He averaged 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and just under five assists. Being used primarily as a backup point guard and is now currently a free agent, but hasn’t played in over a year.
The first team he played for after his time in Detroit, Andre Drummond was traded to Cleveland in 2020. Being benched and eventually waived due to the acquisition of current center Jarret Allen, Drummond averaged 17.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and just over two assists as a Cav.
Heat legend Dwyane Wade came to Cleveland for the 2017-18 season to play with longtime friend Lebron James. Wade averaged 11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists across his 46 games in a Cleveland uniform.
Yes, Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal played 53 games as a Cleveland Cavalier. Joining the team for the 2009-10 season in the hopes of helping LeBron win his first ring, he averaged 12 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He played one more season in Boston before retiring.
Though he is undoubtedly remembered for his time as a New York Knickerbocker, Walt Frazier finished his career as a Cavalier. A bonafide hall-of-famer, his stats in Cleveland don’t exactly reflect it. In his three seasons, he saw his play steadily decrease, and averaged just over 10 points and 2.3 rebounds. He retired in 1980.
Yet another man in the NBA Hall of Fame, Ben Wallace was traded to Cleveland during the 2007-08 season and played 78 total games before going back to Detroit in 2009. As a Cav, he averaged 3.6 points and 6.9 rebounds. Big Ben will always be remembered for his 2004 championship with the Pistons, but his jersey remains a favorite of Cleveland fans.
Bill Laimbeer is a rather unique inclusion on this list because he began, rather than ended, his career in Cleveland. Taken by Cleveland in the 1979 draft, Laimbeer averaged 8.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and just a tad under two assists before being traded to Detroit, where his game and personality flourished as a pillar of the two-time champion bad boy Pistons.
Arguably the best in-game dunker of all time, Shawn Kemp was another player who spent part of his later playing years in Cleveland. Averaging 18.8 points and just over nine rebounds, he was a solid player for the Cavaliers. He will always be a legend of the now-extinct Seattle Supersonics, but he tops the list of the most obscure Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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