The Cleveland Cavaliers' quest for Zion Williamson -- or any other top draft prospect -- continues.
On Monday, the NBA announced that it had cleared the Cavs in its investigation into the circumstances surrounding its signing and subsequent release of former Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw.
"Based on the specific facts and circumstances of this matter, the NBA found that there was no violation of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, including the anti-circumvention rules," the league wrote in a memo.
Although this was the most likely outcome for the Cavs, it clears what would have been a potentially massive roadblock for the team. If found guilty of wrongdoing, Cleveland could have potentially been subjected to a fine as high as $3 million to $6 million or the loss of draft picks.
Currently laying claim to the worst record in the NBA at 9-35, the Cavs will likely be one of three teams with the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick at the NBA Draft Lottery this spring.
The loss of such pick, however, won't be an issue for Cleveland following what was ultimately a week-long investigation. At the center of the inquiry was the question of whether or not the Cavs and McCaw had made an agreement to for the team to release the player after he signed a nonguaranteed 2-year, $6 million offer sheet to end his restricted free agency with Warriors.
"The whole thing was kind of strange," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on last week, per The Associated Press. "I don't know that there's been a totally non-guaranteed offer sheet before."
While the agreement may have been peculiar, the NBA ruled that the Cavs were within their rights when they released the 23-year-old following a three-game stint with the team in which he averaged 1.7 points on .222 percent shooting. In the time since McCaw has signed with the Toronto Raptors, although he has yet to make his first appearance with his new team.