Joe Harris' roster spot not in jeopardy, team plans on using 2016-2017 option

Joe Harris hasn't stood out much in his time with the Cavaliers.

In his first year with the Cavs, things ranged from somehow almost starting, to an ankle injury, to being rightly buried on the bench behind veteran guards J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Mike Miller. His second year with the Cavs hasn't gotten off to an amazing start, at least not on the court. In both Summer League and preseason action Harris has yet to make much of an impression.

According to Chris Haynes of NEOMG though, that doesn't matter:

Harris' salary for this upcoming season is guaranteed at $845,059. The second-year guard is a lock to remain on the squad, team officials insist.

The 2016-17 season is a team option the club holds on his rookie-scale contract. It's set at an income of $980,431.

Barring a trade or something catastrophic occurring, the Cavaliers have every intention of picking up his third-year option, sources informed Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Standout performances in preseason from the likes of Austin Daye, Jared Cunningham and Quinn Cook have some fans wondering if Harris should be cut to make room for one of them, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.

It's tough to fault the Cavs on that end. Even if it's partially hubris, the Cavs took Harris No. 33 overall and cutting his guaranteed salary for a journeyman like Daye or Cunningham doesn't seem palatable. As good as Daye has been as a shooter, and even with Cunningham's big game the other night, they have both been bouncing around the NBA for years.

Are they better than Harris? Who knows. We have a tiny sample of him playing well before his ankle injury and there's little else to go on.

Cavs GM David Griffin said earlier this month that Harris was the most impressive player in training camp. It definitely sounds like GM speak, but it looks like we'll have a few years to find out. Joe is a good guy and works hard, so here's to hoping it pays off.