The Cleveland Cavaliers have had enough of Kevin Porter Jr. and his issues. The last straw came recently when he went off in the locker room following the team’s win over the New York Knicks.
The 20-year-old player has yet to see action for the Cavs this season and it seemed he was nearing that. However, a locker room issue ticked Porter off and the scene was reportedly not pretty.
According to The Athletic, Porter was unhappy when he found his locked spot was moved to an auxiliary area. This was done to give recruit Taurean Prince. That did not sit well with Porter who allegedly started yelling and even threw food around.
The Cavs are expected to trade or release Kevin Porter Jr. after a locker room “outburst,” per @joevardon, @ByJasonLloyd, @kelseyyrusso, @ShamsCharania Porter reportedly threw food after his locker was given to Taurean Prince. pic.twitter.com/wTmbESjUnE — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 18, 2021
Cavs general manager Koby Altman and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff tried to calm down the situation but failed. Porter’s outburst was so bad that Bickerstaff ended up shocked and disgusted.
Team members would, later on, be informed that Porter is no longer the team. Cleveland is now offering Porter to interested takers. If no one picks him up, the Cavs are expected to waive the former USC player.
It was an unfortunate incident for Porter who played well last season. The Cavs saw promise in him despite his issues off the court.
In November, Porter was involved in a one-vehicle crash and admitted that he was drunk at the time. However, things went from bad to worse when police found a loaded gun and marijuana in the glove compartment of his Mercedes SUV. The charges were eventually dropped.
This season, Porter has not played after begging off for a personal reason. He appeared ready to return to action until the outburst that happened last Friday.
"We all want to see Kevin be successful and I still feel that way, so whatever it is that happens in the future for him, I hope nothing but the best for him," Bickerstaff said. "It's part of our responsibility as coaches to give everyone our all and try to make the best of every situation and I can say that we did that."
Porter’s issues call to mind the incidents he had when he was still in college. That included being suspended in his freshman year.
As of this writing, Porter has not been linked to any team that could take a risk and take him in. Given his locker room attitude, it remains to be seen if any team would gamble and add him this 2020-21 NBA season.
