Cavs Cut Former Arkon Star: What’s Next for the Rising Talent?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are about to face one of those juuuuust tricky stretches that tests a team’s depth and grit — especially when injuries and roster quirks pile up like a messy stack of dominoes. Right now, they’re bracing to be without Evan Mobley for a couple of weeks due to a calf issue, still missing Darius Garland and Max Strus because of lingering injuries, and dealing with a two-way contract ticking down on Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who only has eight games left before his status needs shuffling. With seven games before the All-Star break, that’s a serious pinch on the rotation. Naturally, given this crunch time circus, the front office has made a move, waiving two-way forward Chris Livingston — a player who hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard but provided some depth nonetheless. What’s interesting here is how this opens up a spot — or maybe two — for the Cavs to recalibrate as they look ahead. Whether it’s elevating existing talent like Luke Travers or bringing new faces into the fold, there’s no shortage of intrigue about how Cleveland will navigate this choppy water. Curious for all the gritty details and what’s coming next? LEARN MORE

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a tricky stretch coming up.

They are expected to be without Evan Mobley (calf) for the next one to three weeks and are still without the services of Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot). Additionally, standout two-way player Nae’Qwan Tomlin only has eight more games he can be active with the Cavs unless they convert his contract to a standard deal. For reference, the Cavs have seven games before the All-Star break.

This all creates a crunch where the Cavs could need more available bodies that they trust to provide NBA minutes as they await the Feb. 5.

With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that the Cavs are reportedly waiving two-way player Chris Livingston.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived two-way forward Chris Livingston, league sources told @hoopshype.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 27, 2026

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Livingston hasn’t provided many meaningful minutes for the Cavs this season despite the team’s injuries. The Akron native had just 17 minutes of playing time spread across three games with the team.

The majority of Livingston’s time has been spent with the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. Livingston has appeared in 16 games with the Charge and averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists on .437/.258/.844 shooting splits.

The release of Livingston opens up one of the team’s three two-way spots. Additionally, it stands to reason that another one of those two-way spots will be made available when the team presumably converts Tomlin’s current contract to a standard NBA one.

Luke Travers occupies the Cavs’ other two-way spot. He’s appeared in just 12 games this season for the Cavs this season. Travers is averaging 18.1 points, nine rebounds, and 5.1 assists on .430/.284/.636 shooting splits in 14 G-League appearances.

We’ll see what direction the Cavs go with those openings. It’s worth mentioning that Killian Hayes — who is playing well — isn’t eligible for a two-way deal due to his previous service time. Darius Brown and Tristan Enaruna are potential internal candidates for a deal. The team can also look outside the organization for a possible two-way player.