Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Raul Neto has moved on from the NBA to join Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe Beko.
Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul agreed with the 31-year-old Brazilian guard Raul Neto who played last year for the Cleveland Cavaliers pic.twitter.com/jJuLR5SPXt
— Luca D'Alessandro (@DAlessandro_LU) July 22, 2023
This past season, Neto saw action in 48 games for the Cavaliers. His one start came in a 113-85 rout of the Detroit Pistons, matching his season high in points with 14 on the night.
Over the course of his time with the Cavaliers, Neto averaged 10.5 minutes per contest. His production consisted of 3.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.0 rebound per game.
The 31-year-old Neto was taken in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. However, he was traded that same night to the Utah Jazz and spent the next two seasons playing overseas.
Neto finally arrived in the NBA in 2015, when he signed a multi-year deal with the Jazz. He played four seasons with the team, coming off the bench in the final three years after starting 53 contests as a rookie.
After being released in 2019 by the Jazz, Neto was signed by the Philadelphia 76ers and played in 54 games during the interrupted 2019-20 season. The following campaign, he began a two-year stint with the Washington Wizards, where he had his two most productive seasons in the NBA.
During the 2020-21 campaign, Neto averaged 8.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The following season, his numbers dipped slightly in all but the assists category, as he dished out an average of 3.1 dimes per contest.
Neto ended up starting 41 of the 134 games he played for the Wizards, averaging 20.7 minutes per game. Despite his contributions, he became a free agent and signed with the Cavaliers in July of last year.
Losing Neto likely won’t have much impact on the chances of the Cavaliers advancing past the first round of the NBA Playoffs. In the Cavaliers’ five-game series against the New York Knicks last season, he saw action for seven minutes over two games and only contributed one point and an assist.
Given Neto’s age and modest NBA career, it seems safe to say that he’s not likely to return to the league before he retires. However, as a member of Fenerbahçe Beko, he’s joining a team that has the distinction of being the first Turkish squad to win a EuroLeague title.
