The Cavaliers won’t be picking up their 2020-21 option on center Ante Zizic‘s rookie scale contract, league sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The option would have been worth $3,872,215.
If Cleveland had exercised that fourth-year option, it would have put Zizic on track to become eligible for an extension during the 2020 offseason and restricted free agency during the summer of 2021.
Instead, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next July. Assuming he finishes the season with the Cavs, they’ll be ineligible to offer him a starting salary higher than $3,872,215 on a new contract.
Zizic, 22, was part of the trade package the Cavaliers received from the Celtics for Kyrie Irving during the summer of 2017. However, his contributions in Cleveland through two years have been modest. In 91 games, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. He has yet to make his 2019-20 debut due to a left foot injury.
Zizic, who is on an expiring contract, has a $2,281,800 cap hit for this season.
