It is unlikely that second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. ever plays for the Cavaliers again, the result of a weekend outburst directed at general manager Koby Altman, according to a report from The Athletic.
“If (Porter) was truly behaving that way in the locker room, I know what I would do,” one opposing GM told FortyEightMinutes. “I wouldn’t want a player like that on my team. I don’t see how they can trade him now that the story is out. No one would give them anything (in return).”
Porter, 20, has yet to play a game this season. He had just returned to practice last week and sat on the bench for the first time Friday, cheering on his teammates while in street clothes. Porter has been out due to personal reasons.
According to The Athletic, Friday is when the incident with Altman happened.
“Sources said Porter, whose locker was moved to the wall where younger and end-of-the-bench players reside, began yelling and at one point threw food,” The Athletic reported.
Altman then entered the locker room to try to calm the situation, to no avail, per the report, saying that Porter “remained combative,” per the report.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff was “shocked and disgusted” by the Porter incident, The Athletic reported.
The Cavs have since held trade talks with several teams on Porter, FortyEightMinutes confirmed.
Porter was arrested following a one-car accident during the offseason. He was charged with improper handling of a firearm of a motor vehicle and misdemeanor possession of a firearm. All charges were eventually dismissed, court documents show.
Porter was viewed as a top-10 talent entering the 2019 NBA draft, but questions about his character caused him to drop to the No. 30 overall pick.
The 6-foot-4 guard was briefly suspended early last season for bumping an official. Other than that, his first season was largely incident-free as Porter became a fan and media favorite.
He averaged 10 points and 3.2 rebounds as a rookie.
