Title: “New Beginnings: Auburn Forward Inks Exhibit 10 Deal With Cavaliers”
In the quiet hours of a summer morning, former Auburn forward Malik Dandridge sat at a table inside the Cleveland Cavaliers’ training facility, pen in hand, heart pounding. The contract before him wasn’t long—barely a page—but the implications were massive. With the stroke of a pen, Dandridge took the first official step toward his NBA dream by signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers.
For many, an Exhibit 10 deal might not turn heads. It’s a one-year, non-guaranteed contract typically used for undrafted players or training camp invites. But for Dandridge, it meant validation. It meant belief. It meant opportunity.
Just three months earlier, he’d walked off the court in Birmingham after Auburn’s Sweet 16 loss, a towel draped over his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the scoreboard. The stat sheet showed a modest 10 points and 7 rebounds, but anyone watching knew the impact he had made—boxing out bigger players, diving for loose balls, barking defensive rotations. He was the heartbeat of that Auburn squad.
At 6’8″, 225 pounds, with a relentless motor and a defensive IQ that turned scouts’ heads late in the season, Dandridge had been projected as a potential late second-round pick. But the draft came and went without his name being called. Still, he never wavered.
“I knew my journey wasn’t going to be traditional,” he said. “Nothing about my life has been. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get there.”
Cleveland called the next day.
The Cavaliers, known for developing gritty, versatile forwards, saw potential in Dandridge—particularly in his ability to switch on defense and crash the boards with tenacity. The Exhibit 10 contract gives him a chance to earn a spot on the Cavs’ training camp roster and, if waived, up to a $75,000 bonus if he joins the G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, for at least 60 days.
More than a contract, it was a challenge: prove you belong.
“Malik is a high-character guy,” said Cavs Assistant GM Mike Gansey. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and he plays like it. We’re excited to see what he can do in our system.”
Dandridge’s path forward is anything but easy. He’ll be competing with summer league standouts and veterans fighting for the last few roster spots. But for a kid from Montgomery, Alabama, who once played on cracked asphalt courts and used a milk crate as a hoop, this moment is everything.
“This isn’t the finish line,” Dandridge said after signing. “It’s the gate. Now I’ve got to run the race.”
He’ll debut in the NBA Summer League next week in Las Vegas, wearing number 43—a tribute to his late uncle, a former college standout who never got his shot.
With his name stitched on the back of an NBA jersey and a contract—however small—in his hands, Malik Dandridge is no
