INDEPENDENCE — An intense whirlwind created by the business of professional basketball has led St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate Malaki Branham back to Northeast Ohio.
Branham is preparing for the NBA G League playoffs with the Cleveland Charge, an affiliate of the Cavaliers. The third-seeded Charge (23-13) will open the postseason by hosting the sixth-seeded Capital City Go-Go (19-17) in a single-elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, at Cleveland Public Hall.
A Columbus native, Branham is grateful to receive an opportunity in his home state after being involved with a flurry of NBA transactions since last summer.
“It’s lovely just to be close to home,” Branham told the Beacon Journal on March 30 after the Charge practiced at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “My mom comes up often [from Columbus]. A two-hour drive is not bad, so it’s great. It’s great being back home.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to show people that I’m an NBA player and also just being with a great group of guys that we have right now. We can definitely make some damage in the playoffs and win it. So, it’s definitely good to be in the playoffs and to show whoever’s doubting me what I can do.”
After starring at STVM in Akron and playing one season at Ohio State, Branham entered the NBA in 2022, when the San Antonio Spurs drafted him in the first round (No. 20 overall). He spent three seasons with the Spurs, appearing in 188 games with 61 starts and averaging 8.5 points on 43.9% shooting from the floor (33.6% on 3-pointers), two rebounds, 1.7 assists and 19 minutes.
But the Spurs traded Branham, Blake Wesley and a second-round draft pick to the Washington Wizards for Kelly Olynyk in July 2025. Then shortly before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, Branham was moved again.
As part of a three-team trade involving the Wizards, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets, Branham briefly landed in Charlotte. The blockbuster featured 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis going from Dallas to Washington, and there were steps to it becoming a three-team pact.
First, Branham had been told the Mavericks traded for him on Feb. 4.
“I talked to the GM and everything,” Branham said. “… I definitely did think I was going to Dallas to finish off the season.”
Then on Feb. 5, as the 3 p.m. trade deadline approached, Branham learned would go to the Hornets in a swap for point guard Tyus Jones. The deal was later announced as part of a three-team, nine-player trade. The Hornets waived Branham on Feb. 9 without him appearing in a game with them.
“My head was just spinning,” Branham said. “I don’t know what’s going on. It was my first time going through this process. Now I know what the NBA is about.”
Listed by the Charge as a 6-foot-4 forward, Branham is determined to work his way back into an NBA team’s rotation.
In 28 games with the Wizards this season, Branham averaged 4.6 points on 47.3% shooting from the field (37.8% on 3-pointers), 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 9.8 minutes.
Ohio’s Mr. Basketball as a STVM senior, Branham said bouncing around the NBA and landing in Cleveland has been “eye-opening.” He explained he has leaned on his family and other players who have been traded for support.
“I feel like basketball is definitely mental, especially if you get waived and all that, being off an NBA team so young,” Branham said. “I’m only 22. So it was just the fact that everything just happened so quickly. I’m just trying to grasp everything, the emotions, just everything that’s going on. [My refuge] was just getting in the gym and letting my frustration just go away.”
The Cavs organization has a history of giving former Summit County high school basketball stars a chance to regroup with the Charge. Revere High School graduate Pete Nance and former Buchtel star Chris Livingston are other examples. Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks converted Nance’s two-way contract into a standard NBA deal. Livingston is on the Capital City Go-Go’s roster and will face the Charge, who waived him in January.
“I feel the Ohio love,” Branham said. “It’s definitely special to be back here.”
Since Branham signed with the Charge on March 9, he has been living out of two suitcases in a downtown Cleveland apartment. Through seven games with the Charge, Branham is averaging 20.3 points on 52.5% shooting from the field (36.4% on 3-pointers), 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 24.6 minutes.
“He’s definitely found his footing with us. We love him,” Charge coach Eli Kell-Abrams said. “He’s been fantastic for us, not only just his play but his spirit. I think a lot of guys could come in with the pedigree that he has and handle this a very different way. He has just been so intent with winning the guys in the locker room, making plays for others, doing the little things defensively to just kind of buy in team-wise.
“I couldn’t be happier with his play since he got here and more so just how he carries himself in the locker room. He’s just a first-class dude. … He’s incredibly dynamic with the ball in his hands. He can get downhill and finish on anyone in the G, and when he draws multiple defenders, he’s unselfish enough to give the ball up.”
Now Branham is eager for another career first — a playoff experience.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Malaki Branham goes from trade whiplash to shot with Cleveland Charge
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
