Larry Nance Jr. happy to be back home with Cavaliers

The negotiation with the Cavaliers' front office was seamless. "You need another big who can spread the floor and move a little bit?" forward/center Larry Nance Jr. said. "It made too much sense. It fed right into what I know I can do." Cleveland offered the veteran's minimum. He accepted the $3 million. Signed, sealed and delivered. Nance, 32, is making his second stint with the Cavs after being dealt to Cleveland at the 2018 trade deadline from the Los Angeles Lakers. He played parts of four seasons with the Cavs. Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey are still with the team, along with many others. "Koby's here," Nance said. "Gansey's here. The whole training staff. The strength staff. I know them all. I've played with half the roster before. I've had a general pulse on the vibe of what's gone on and the camaraderie. "The conversations with Kenny (Atkinson) and Koby weren't that big of a deal to me. I knew I would (be back)." Once he started thinking about it — his contract with Atlanta expired after the 2024-25 season — the former Revere High School star was drawn to Cleveland. "It became, 'Man, it would be kind of cool,'" he said. "I'm happy it worked out the way it did." The 6-foot-8, 245-pound Akron native is back where he belongs. "It's just home," he said. "It sounds so corny. Just from walking into (Cleveland Clinic Courts), there are so many smiling faces. It's all positive. "I was born and raised here. Playing for the Hawks, playing for the Pelicans, I wanted them to win every game. But I was a Cavs fan. Sitting on the couch and watching the playoffs the last few years, it was hard not to tap my wife and say, 'I can help. I can really do that.' This is a team that really has a chance to win it all. I feel like that's the goal. That's why I came back." The Cavs needed another big man to play behind starters Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Nance seems to fit the bill perfectly. "When it gets to the playoffs, there's a lot of switching and a lot of five-out movement," he said. "The way my game has developed over the last few years, there's a lot of five-out. I shoot a lot of threes. I play on the perimeter. I'm very comfortable out there. I think I'll fit in very well here." He's worked on his perimeter game and has shot .415 and .447 from behind the arc the last two seasons. "That's where I've put in a lot of work," Nance said. "Shooting has been paramount for me recently." He's not expecting to be one of the leaders on the team. "I may be one of the oldest guys on the team, but my job is to get in line with them," Nance said. "Those (core) four are the ones I'm here to support. "I am not here (to say), 'Follow me, guys. Let me lead you.' No. If Don (Mitchell) is the leader, Don is the leader. I'm here to support them the best way I can. If I don't play, I'm fine." Even since news broke that he was signing with Cleveland, it's been positive. "It's pretty incredible the reception (I've received) via social media," Nance said. "I dropped my daughter off at camp today and I was getting gas. Someone came up to me and said, 'I'm thrilled you're back.' It's very cool, the place I hold so near and dear to my heart feels the same way. I truly cannot wait to play for them again." What he's really looking forward to is an extended playoff run. He wants to be better prepared this time. He was on the Cavs team that was swept 4-0 by the Golden State Warriors in 2018. "I know the emotions I felt," Nance said. "I just wasn't ready. It was one of the best teams of all-time we lost to. Those guys were good. Now, I am ready to compete at that level and go win. "It's the height of basketball and I got the itch. I'm hungry for it now and I'm ready for it now. This is the perfect opportunity to do it. The physicality and the intensity. It's addicting. Fists clenched. Ready to rock. That's the goal. That's the dream and I'm ready for it." In his 10-year career with the Lakers, Cavs, the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans, he's averaged 7.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 546 games. He's shot .539 from field and .353 from the 3-point line. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.