Samardo Samuels, Cleveland Cavaliers Agree To Multi-Year Deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed, in principle, to sign former Louisville power forward Samardo Samuels to a multi-year deal according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst.

Though terms of the deal weren't immediately available, Windhorst tweeted that the "deal has partial guarantee in the first year, which means Samuels is likely to make the team. Cavs liked him before draft, didn't have pick."

Samuels, a 6-foot-8 rookie who played with the Chicago Bulls in the Vegas Summer League, averaged 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 57% from the field in five games in Vegas.  The 21-year-old former top-five recruit averaged 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds while at Louisville last season.

While Samuels looked good in three of his five Summer League games - the three that he started, coincidentally - his best performance in my eyes came against the DeMarcus Cousins' led Sacramento Kings.  Against the Kings, Samuels shot 6-of-8 from the field to score 17 total points and grab seven boards in 27 minutes of action while being defended by the fifth overall pick.  Though Samuels didn't always draw Cousins on the other end of the floor, the most polished big man in the draft countered with a disappointing 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting.

Though Samuels is a bit undersized, he showed heady play and explosiveness in Summer League - two things that would've made him a definite draft pick had he been able to show them during his two seasons at Louisville.

After the jump, I included some highlights of his game against Cousins.