After one year on the West Coast, former Spartan star Mateen Cleaves is headed back to the Midwest in search of some playing time.
Cleaves, a point guard, was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in exchange for second-year forward Jumaine Jones. Cleveland will be Cleaves’ third team in three NBA seasons after being drafted by Detroit in 2000 and then traded to Sacramento prior to last season.
His agent, Jack Tucker, said the most recent deal materialized during the MSU vs. Rice football game on Saturday, which was Cleaves’ 25th birthday. While watching the game, Tucker received a call from Cleveland head coach John Lucas, who was looking for a backup point guard.
At first, Lucas inquired about former Los Angeles Clippers guard Earl Boykins, but Tucker managed to sell him on Cleaves, who was dissatisfied with his third-string role on the Kings.
“Lucas trusts me and I told him, ‘This guy can play,’” Tucker said.
“He said, ‘Tucker, if he’s your man, he’s good enough for me. I gotta take a chance on him.’
“Then he pulled the trigger. They got a good player.”
Cleaves was not available for comment Wednesday. But the Flint native, who led MSU to the 2000 national championship, clearly has a better chance of getting playing time with the struggling Cavs than he had in Sacramento, where he sat behind star Mike Bibby and backup Bobby Jackson.
In Cleveland, Cleaves will battle heralded rookie Dajuan Wagner and veteran Bimbo Coles for court minutes.
Cleaves is still recovering from an off-season foot surgery, but Tucker said he should be ready in about a month.
“I’m looking for Cleveland to sign someone else,” Tucker said.
“But if not, he might get to start. I’m looking for him to get 20 minutes a game and if someone goes down, he can go in and be a very effective player.”
Twenty minutes per game would be a vast improvement for Cleaves, who averaged 2.2 points and 0.8 assists in 4.8 minutes a game last season.
This season has added importance for Cleaves because he is in the last year of his three-year $4.1-million rookie contract.
If things go well, Tucker believes his client could strike a long-term deal with the Cavs.
“Lucas likes him,” Tucker said. “Mateen comes from a good system at Michigan State. Tom Izzo is (demanding). I’m like that and John Lucas is like that and Mateen is associated with the three of us, so you know he’s got to be tough.”
Local Spartan fans interested in seeing Cleaves play for his new team will get several opportunities this season.
The Cavs visit the Palace of Auburn Hills for a preseason game Oct. 10, and regular-season games on Dec. 20 and April 14.
