League news / Published 2026-11-04

Norchad Omier backed out of a Timberwolves two-way deal and signed with Cleveland

Norchad Omier is no longer signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He changed his mind and now intends to sign a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype was the first to report the reversal, and Hoops Rumors confirmed the sequence on Tuesday.

(See the reader poll and source context below).

Omier reneged on an agreement with Minnesota to take a two-way contract with the Cavaliers instead, leaving the Timberwolves to refill a spot they had just cleared.

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Timberwolves' Norchad Omier changes mind on two-way contract, joins Cavs insteadReported context: [object Object] [object Object] [object Object] [object Object] [object Object] [object Object]Not recordedNot recorded

THE SHORT VERSION

  • Norchad Omier backed out of a two-way agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves and will sign a two-way deal with Cleveland instead.
  • Minnesota had waived Enrique Freeman on Tuesday to open the spot; the Wolves now have to fill it again.
  • Omier went undrafted out of Baylor in 2025 and averaged 18.3 points and 11.4 rebounds in 38 G League games last season.

The deal that broke

Norchad Omier is no longer signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He changed his mind and now intends to sign a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype was the first to report the reversal, and Hoops Rumors confirmed the sequence on Tuesday.

For Minnesota, the timing is what stings. The Timberwolves had already cleared a two-way spot on Tuesday by waiving Enrique Freeman, who is dealing with an injury that will keep him out for weeks.

That means the Wolves spent a roster move and ended the day with nothing to show for it, while Cleveland gets a forward who has already spent time in its system.

Cleveland will have to waive one of its current two-way players to make room, so the move is not free on that side either.

Two rosters, one spot

The Timberwolves do not currently have a two-way spot available, which is why they waived Freeman in the first place.

They now have to reassess their options for that opening, per Scotto, and the market for two-way forwards in November is thin.

The Wolves' other two-way players are Rocco Zikarsky and Zyon Pullin, which means the spot they just cleared was the flexible one.

Minnesota's front office has been dealing with a wave of injuries across the roster and needs bodies it can actually use, not projects it can stash.

Omier looked like exactly that. He is 25, he has already played in the G League for two organizations, and he was available on a two-way deal.

Who Omier is

Omier went undrafted out of Baylor in 2025, which is the part of his story that explains the rest of it.

He is the first NBA player to be born in Nicaragua, and he has spent most of his professional career in the G League rather than in an NBA rotation.

At 6-foot-7, he is undersized for a full-time power forward but physical enough to rebound outside his position.

He spent his rookie season split between the Cleveland Charge and the San Diego Clippers, and he signed a two-way deal with Los Angeles in February.

He also appeared in six regular season games for the Clippers at the NBA level, which is the extent of his top-level experience so far.

The G League numbers

The case for Omier is a G League case, and it is a strong one. In 38 games for the Charge and the Clippers last season he averaged 18.3 points and 11.4 rebounds in 29.3 minutes.

He shot 59.2 percent from the floor and 78.7 percent from the free throw line, numbers that hold up for a big man who is asked to finish inside and draw contact.

He added 2.5 assists per game, which suggests he is not a pure finisher and can make a simple read out of the short roll.

The Clippers opted against tendering him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, but he stayed with their Summer League team and averaged 10.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in five games in Las Vegas.

That summer performance is what earned him a training camp contract with Minnesota, and he made six preseason appearances for the Wolves before being waived ahead of the regular season.

Why Cleveland made sense

The basketball reason for the switch is familiarity. Omier suited up for 31 G League games with the Charge, Cleveland's affiliate, and the Cavaliers have seen him up close.

He also fits what Cleveland wants from a two-way forward: rebounding, screening and defensive activity without needing touches.

Omier played all six preseason games for Minnesota and averaged 1.8 points in 8.0 minutes, which is not much of an audition, but it was enough for Cleveland to prefer its own file on him.

Backing out of an agreement is rare, and it cuts both ways. The Thunder backed out of a reported agreement with free agent Ochai Agbaji in recent days while reassessing their roster after Chet Holmgren's injury.

In a league where roster spots turn over weekly in November, an unsigned agreement is less binding than it sounds.

The Wolves' second choice

Minnesota now has to find another power forward on the market, and it has to do it while managing an injury list that already cost it Freeman.

Freeman is a 6-foot-9 power forward, and Omier is listed as a four as well, so the Wolves were not looking for a different kind of player. They were looking for the same kind of player.

The Cavaliers' depth up front is already crowded, which is why a two-way spot there is a bet on development rather than a path to minutes.

For Minnesota, the practical cost is time. Every day the spot stays open is a day the team cannot use it on a back-to-back or a road trip.

The Wolves' front office has been willing to churn the bottom of the roster, and this is the second move in a week that has not gone as planned.

Precedent for broken deals

Verbal agreements in the NBA are not contracts, and both sides know it. Teams withdraw offers, players change their minds, and nothing is official until the paperwork is filed.

What makes this case notable is the sequence. Minnesota waived a player to create the opening, then lost the player it cleared the spot for.

Cleveland benefits from that, and the Cavaliers also inherit the risk: Omier has never held a rotation role in the NBA, and a two-way deal is a bet that he can become one.

Omier's own calculation is easy to understand. Cleveland knows him, the affiliate knows him, and the path to a standard contract may be shorter there than in Minnesota.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, have a spot, an injury list and a market that gets thinner every day they wait.

Sources & reporting limits

  1. Norchad Omier Backs Out Of Wolves Deal, Will Sign With Cavs
  2. Timberwolves' Norchad Omier changes mind on two-way contract, joins Cavs instead
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