The Cleveland Cavaliers just reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, but if you're expecting this exact group to return next season and build on the progress, think again. The Cavs have the NBA's most expensive roster, and it's reached a breaking point that president of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey are well aware of.
With a cap sheet once again projected to land in the second apron (barring any moves), Cleveland simply has to shed some salary this offseason, even if it's still unclear which players will be sacrificed as part of that effort.
Cavaliers have little choice but to shed salary this offseason
NBA insider Marc Stein, appearing on the All NBA Podcast on Monday, reminded everyone of Cleveland's ballooning cap situation that cannot continue for much longer.
"They're the only second apron team in the NBA," Stein said. "You can't stay in the second apron, so right away, you know they have to do some level of dismantling."
James Harden is the most pressing financial question mark for Cleveland to deal with. The Beard has a $42.3 million player option for next season, but recent buzz suggests that Harden will decline that option and sign a new, team-friendly deal with Cleveland to play out the rest of his career.
Other free agents for the Cavaliers are Keon Ellis, Thomas Bryant, Larry Nance Jr., Dean Wade, Olivier Sarr (restricted), and potentially Craig Porter Jr., who has a team option. None of those guys is expected to demand massive money on the market, although Ellis and Wade are valuable wings who will probably price themselves out of Cleveland, especially given the Cavs’ cap situation.
Max Strus, Dennis Schröder should be traded immediately (or as soon as possible)
Offloading Max Strus and Dennis Schröder’s salaries via trade onto a team with cap space (Brooklyn Nets? Chicago Bulls?) would be a priority for me if I were running the Cavs this summer. That’s more than $31 million you can get off your books for 2026-27, with neither Strus nor Schröder being game-changing enough role players to keep around during a much-needed retool.
I’m rolling with Sam Merrill and his much more affordable contract as the starting lineup’s floor-spacer, and I’m selling Strus ASAP if I’m Cleveland. I’d also pick up Craig Porter’s team option (it’s only $2.4 million) and trade Schröder. In both the Strus and Schröder trade situations, I’d obviously be looking to take back as little salary as possible. I believe that Porter can replace a lot of Schröder's role, even though they bring different things to the table and Porter is far less proven as of right now.
From there, the Cavs will have to consider massive moves involving their big four. The idea of trading any one of them must be something the Cavs are open to. Many fans and analysts around the league have suggested that Cleveland should get rid of everyone not named Evan Mobley and go from there. I don’t hate this idea, and it would certainly give the Cavs the new financial reality that they desperately need. It might be time to give up on the Donovan Mitchell era and move forward.
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