Cavs waive guard Toney Douglas to make room for J.R. Smith

To make room for the newly re-signed J.R. Smith, the Cleveland Cavaliers had to clear a roster spot. As result, veteran guard Toney Douglas has been waived. The team announced the move in the press release announcing Smith’s new deal.

The Cavs signed Douglas to a non-guaranteed deal on Oct. 3 and let him compete for the role of Kyrie Irving’s backup. While Douglas was an ok player, he was outplayed by rookie guard Kay Felder and was likely going to be cut when the Cavs cut their final roster down to 15 players.

With Douglas out of the picture, Felder is likely to be the backup point guard when the season opens on Oct. 25. With Smith now back on the roster, 13 of the 15 roster spots are filled. Because Mo Williams has yet to formally retired or be waived, DeAndre Liggins, Jonathan Holmes, John Holland, Jordan McRae and Cory Jefferson are competing for those final two spots.

With the team having invested time in McRae and his rapport with the rest of the team, he seems like a lock to land one of those final two spots. It is possible that the Williams’ situation will be resolved shortly and another spot will open up. It is also possible that the players Cleveland doesn’t keep on the 15-man roster could wind up with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ D-League affiliate.