Taking a look at Cleveland Cavaliers Guard Meleek Thomas’ performance in NBA Summer League and where he fits on the roster for the 2026-27 season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google searches!
With the Cleveland Cavaliers rumored to be in the mix for LeBron James, there may be a plan b in place if they don’t land the King. With the 34th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings drafted Meleek Thomas out of Arkansas before trading him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thomas, while overshadowed by teammate Darius Acuff at Arkansas, averaged 15.6 points per game (PPG) on 44% shooting, providing John Calipari’s squad with needed scoring when Acuff was out of the game or struggling.
Now, Thomas has brought that dynamic skill set over to the NBA game, as he has been a standout in the early days of NBA Summer League.
Meleek Thomas Shows Promise in Early 2026 NBA Summer League
Through the first three games that the Cavaliers have played in the 2026 NBA Summer League, it looks like they may have found a contributor for the upcoming season in Meleek Thomas. He has found himself atop the leaderboard in PPG, sitting at a cool 28.3 per game. Those points are coming on the back of shooting 50% from the field and 45.8% from behind the three-point line. More than that, Thomas’ 85 points are the most by a rookie through the first three NBA Summer League games.
While the Cavaliers are just 1-2 in NBA Summer League this season, Thomas cannot be blamed for that. Thomas’ dynamic scoring ability has made Cleveland Summer League games must-watch television. While we knew Thomas had the ability to score the ball, seeing him do so in a capacity where he was not being overshadowed by Acuff is certainly eye-opening and has to give the Cavaliers excitement when looking at filling out the roster for the upcoming season.
How Does Meleek Thomas Fit on the Cavaliers Roster?
After bowing out earlier than they would have liked to in the playoffs, it appears that the Cleveland Cavaliers are at a crossroads. They did lock up Donovan Mitchell and are working on restructuring James Harden’s contract. All of this comes on the back of being one of the major players in the LeBron James sweepstakes. With Evan Mobley on a $269M contract and Jarrett Allen making $28M for the 2026-27 season, the Cavaliers have a lot of money tied up in their starting lineup, so finding cheap pieces that can immediately contribute off of the bench is going to be key to getting back to the NBA Finals.
That is where Thomas comes into play. If you have watched the Cavaliers Summer League games at all this year, you know that Thomas has what it takes to score at the NBA level. Dennis Schroder, Jaylen Tyson and Max Strus provided great minutes off of the bench last season, but with Thomas they have the opportunity to get much younger on a four-year, $9M contract. It may take some time, which will probably see him on a two-way contract, but Thomas has the skills to be a strong scoring option for the Cavaliers, especially as his career progresses.
With Mitchell locked up for the foreseeable future, bringing Thomas along slowly as Mitchell’s mentee should pay off big time for a team looking for another scoring option.
