The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially signed Macedonian forward Cedi Osman the team announced Tuesday from Cleveland Clinic Courts. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the deal is for three-years, $8.3 million, with $700,000 going towards a buyout with Osman’s current club, Anadolu Efes.
Osman, originally a 2015 second-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves, has played his last five professional seasons with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League. In 2016-17, he played in 35 games (28 starts) and finished with averages of 13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 25.7 minutes per game. He also played in 35 Euroleague games this season, finishing with averages of 7.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game.
A BSL All-Star in each of his last three seasons (2015-17), he won the 2015 Turkish Cup and 2015 Turkish Supercup with Anadolu Efes. Osman was also a member of the Turkish National Team at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, FIBA EuroBasket 2015, and the 2016 Manila FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He was also selected as FIBA Europe U20 Championship MVP after leading Turkey to a gold medal in 2014.
For Cleveland, Osman provides a nice injection of youth off the bench who will provide solid defense and three-point shooting in relief of superstar LeBron James. While Osman will take time to acclimate to the NBA this season, the added professional experience from overseas will allow him to contribute to the team immediately.
