Luke Travers takes 'Charge' of his NBA career

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Don't sleep on Australian wing Luke Travers. He earned his second two-way NBA contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025-26 on the back of an outstanding season with Cleveland Charge.

Travers, 24, averaged a near triple double in 16 G League games:

• Points: 15.5
• Rebounds: 9.8
• Assists: 7.4

He had four triple doubles on the season.

Travers also played 12 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, making his debut in November 2024, playing a total of 88 minutes. His contributions were minimal in limited minutes but did grab a career high eight rebounds against Indiana in a double overtime 126-118 loss on April 14, 2025. He played 28 minutes. Travers had four points on 2-from-9 from the field.

"I'm gonna play the hardest out there," Travers News 5 Cleveland about his goals in the NBA earlier this year.

"And I feel that's kind of the Australian way is just to leave it out on the court. You saw it from Matthew Dellavedova and all the Aussies that are in the NBA.

"So yeah we're gonna probably leave it all out there. So I think that's the main thing."

Who is Luke Travers

• Born: September 3, 2001 (Age: 24) in Perth
• Position: Shooting Guard
• ‍Shoots: Right
• Height & Weight: 2.03m & 90kg‍
• Team: Cleveland Cavaliers‍
• High School: Willetton Senior High School in Willetton‍
• Draft: Cleveland Cavaliers, 2nd round (26th pick, 56th overall) in 2022.‍
• NBA Debut: November 1, 2024

Travers also described the challenges of being a two-way player for both the Cavs and the Charge.

"It's definitely nerve wracking," he admitted.

"Like you kind of go from like being, you know that guy at the Charge, and then you go to the Cavs and you kind of like that role player and trying to figure out your spot.

"So, that's been a little bit of an adjustment but you take the confidence from the Charge to the Cavs as well.

"That's the biggest thing that I'm trying to take from it."

Unlike most Australians in the NBA, Travers didn't go to college in the US before being drafted with the 56th pick in 2022. He jumped from the NBL after three seasons with the Perth Wildcats, winning a championship in 2020. Travers competed at the 2022 Summer League, averaging 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks as a proven stats stuffer.

The Western Australian came back to the Wildcats for the 2022-23 season and put up solid numbers in 29 games — 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

It was the at the 2023 Summer League that he helped the Cavs win the off-season championship to put himself firmly on the franchise's radar for a potential two-way deal.

He'd already signed a three-deal with Melbourne United starting in the 2023-24 season and played in 36 games for the perennial championship contender, again putting up solid numbers: 12.4 points on 52% from the field, 7.6 boards, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals in 27 minutes.

At the end of the season, United graciously released him to chase his dream of playing in the NBA.

While his opportunities were limited with the Cavaliers, Travers was outstanding for the Charge. He put up his first triple double — 25-11-10 — in a 141-131 win against Wisconsin. He spent more than a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury but came back with another statement, his second triple double.

And it was big: 25-18-10 against Raptors 905 in the Charge's 130-116 win on February 14, 2025 (AEST). But he wasn't done. Travers added two more triple doubles — 16-11-10 and 11-11-11 — in wins against Rip City Remix (Portland) and Long Island Nets (Brooklyn).

The Australian connection is strong at the Cavaliers after Cleveland select Sydney-born Duke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor with the 49th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Proctor, 21, has a more certain future after the Cavs signed him to a four-year, $8.69 USD million deal (AUD $13.2M) on July 2, 2025.

Luke Travers Game Highlights (Feb–Mar 2025)

• Best Performance:
  • Feb 13 @ Raptors 905 – 25 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists (dominant triple-double).
  • Mar 28 @ Lincoln – 22 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists.
• Consistent All-Round Impact:
  • Regularly posted double-digit rebounds (10+ in 8 of his last 12 games).
  • Multiple double-digit assist games, including 11 assists on Mar 29 @ Lincoln and 10 assists on Mar 12 vs RCR.
• Efficiency:
  • FG% fluctuated but strong stretches included 72.7% (Feb 25), 66.7% (Mar 14), and 62.5% (Feb 8).
  • Three-point shooting inconsistent (best outing 2/3 vs BHM on Feb 22).

What 2025-26 holds for Travers is unclear but the Cavaliers resigning the Willeton High School graduate means they see his upside.