Florida’s starting shooting guard from the 2025-26 season, Xavian Lee, made his first NBA appearances with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the 2026 NBA Summer League.
Before Summer League, Lee agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Cleveland on June 25 after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In his senior season at Florida, Lee was the starting shooting guard and averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 4.2 assists per game. While he faced a shooting slump to start the season, Lee later turned things around, recording a season-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting against George Washington on Dec. 13 in Sunrise, Florida, earning him the Orange Bowl Classic MVP.
On Feb. 16, he was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week following an 18-point outing against Georgia and a 22-point performance against then-No. 25 Kentucky. Against Ole Miss on Feb. 21, he recorded the first point-assist double-double by a Gator in four years with 11 points and 10 assists.
In the Summer League, Lee had a chance to showcase his skill to cement his spot with the Cavaliers organization. Across five games in Las Vegas, Lee averaged 6.4 points, 2.4 assists and two rebounds per game. He shot 40% from the field and 21% from beyond the arc.
Here’s a game-by-game recap of Lee’s time at the Summer League:
Game One vs. Indiana
Lee’s stint at the Summer League was off to a rough start when the Cavaliers fell 99-93 to the Pacers, with whom Lee had a pre-Draft workout, on July 10.
Coming off the bench, the former Gator was limited to 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting, including 0 for 3 from beyond the arc, in 13 minutes of action. He did tack on a rebound and an assist, finishing the game with the second-worst plus/minus on the team (minus-16).
Former Arkansas Razorback Meleek Thomas and former Memphis Tiger Nae’Qwan Tomlin led Cleveland with 20 points apiece. Thomas was 7-for-15 while Tomlin went 8-for-14 from the field. Malaki Branham logged 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. Riley Minix, with 10 points, was the last double-digit scorer for the Cavaliers.
Game Two vs. Detroit
On July 12, Cleveland picked up its second loss in as many games in Las Vegas, falling 103-94 to Detroit.
Lee, who came off the bench once again, was more effective than in the game prior, recording 5 points in just nine minutes of action. He went 2-for-3 from the field, including a 3-pointer with 7:29 left in the second quarter that tied the contest at 33.
The guard also recorded two assists and a steal. He finished the game as the only bench player with a positive plus-minus (plus-1).
Thomas led Cleveland with 30 points on 10-of-24 shooting from the field and seven assists. The second-round draft pick from this year’s NBA Draft also grabbed four steals.
Tomlin followed with 17 points, six rebounds and a team-high four blocks. Branham rounded out Cleveland’s double-digit scoring efforts with 14 points, going 4-for-9 from the field.
Game Three vs. Miami
Cleveland grabbed its first win at the 2026 NBA Summer League after taking down the Miami Heat 90-73 on Tuesday.
Lee finished the contest with a bench-high 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting in just 14 minutes of action. He tacked on three rebounds and three assists, one of which came on a lob to former Miami Hurricane Ernest Udeh Jr. with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter, extending Cleveland’s lead 69-59. The former Gator also recorded a steal.
Thomas was a force once again, recording a team-high 35 points on 14-of-23 shooting, including a team-high five 3-pointers. He added three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block to his stat line.
Jaxson Robinson (13) and Branham (11) were the other two Cavaliers to record double-digit points against the Heat.
Game Four vs. New Orleans
Lee received his first start against the Pelicans on Wednesday, and while the Cavaliers won 82-77, the former Gator’s performance was lacking.
In 29 minutes of action, Lee recorded 7 points, shooting 2-for-10 from the field and missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. He also struggled to take care of the ball, finishing the contest with two turnovers and a team-worst minus-9 plus/minus.
Lee was still productive with three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
Branham led Cleveland with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He did have a team-high six turnovers. Minix followed with 15 points, going 4 of 11 from the field, five rebounds and three assists.
To round out the Cavaliers’ double-digit scoring efforts, Robinson had 13 points with a team-high three makes from beyond the arc, and former Texas A&M Aggie Rashaun Agee logged 10 points with seven boards.
Finishing its first four games with a 2-2 record, the Cavs did not make the Summer League semifinals and instead played Chicago on Friday in a consolation game.
Consolation Game vs. Chicago
With one game left in Las Vegas, Lee and other members of the Cavaliers' Summer League roster were given a chance to make a name for themselves. Consequently, Cleveland had one of its strongest Summer League performances, defeating Chicago 100-81.
Lee returned to the bench, making room for Thomas, who missed the previous contest against the Pelicans. And for the first time in Las Vegas, the Toronto, Canada, native reached double-digit points with 10, going 4-for-6 from the field, including two 3-pointers.
Aside from scoring, he added three boards and three assists, finishing the contest with a team-high plus-13 plus/minus.
Thomas led the Cavaliers in scoring once again with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting and a team-high three 3-pointers. He also recorded two assists, two rebounds and a steal. Branham and Minix followed suit with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Branham also dished out a team-high five assists.
Tre’Von Spillers capped off Cleveland’s double-digit scoring efforts with a bench-high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. He also tied Agee with a team-high nine rebounds.
With the win, Cleveland finished Summer League with a 3-2 record.
Lee will look to take advantage of the time he gets with the Cavaliers, which could include time in the 2026 NBA preseason, with the schedule set to be announced in August.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is a summer 2026 sports enterprise reporter and a third-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
