Back in July, the San Antonio Spurs acquired forward Cedi Osman from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the three-team trade that sent Max Strus to the Cleveland.
Osman recently opened up to reporters about the new chapter of his NBA career after finding out the Cavaliers traded him to the Spurs via X (formerly known as Twitter).
“It was time for a new chapter.”
Cedi Osman said although he got word of the trade to San Antonio from Twitter, it was what he had been asking for. pic.twitter.com/mJ1FsFIZUP
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) October 6, 2023
“I was looking for a new chapter for myself,” Osman said. “And I had a great six years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Great teammates, great coaches, great front office guys, everybody was great. But for me, I think it was a time for a new chapter, and after I was traded to San Antonio I was really excited because, like I said, we have a bright future, and I’m really looking forward to being with the guys on the floor.”
Osman was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has played six seasons in the NBA, all as a member of the Cavaliers franchise. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 77 games played with the Cavaliers during the 2022-23 regular season. Osman also converted 45.1 percent of his field-goal attempts and 37.2 percent of his three-point attempts.
But Osman wasn’t able to replicate his productive play during the 2022-23 regular season in Cleveland’s first-round playoff series against Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and the New York Knicks. He averaged 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for the series while shooting just 36.0 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from behind the three-point line. The Knicks made quick work of Osman and the Cavaliers, as they eliminated them in five games.
Arguably Osman’s best season in the NBA thus far came during the 2018-19 season. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged a career-high 13.0 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game across 76 appearances with the team during the regular season (75 starts).
Osman’s contributions didn’t translate into much collective success for the 2018-19 iteration of the Cavaliers, though. They finished the regular season with a poor 19-63 record, including a 13-28 home record and 6-35 road record. The Knicks were the lone Eastern Conference team to finish the regular season with fewer wins than the Cavaliers.
Here’s to hoping that Osman is in store for the best season of his pro career during the 2023-24 regular season.
