Roster turnover in the NBA is inevitable. Even teams that prioritize continuity see the back-half of their rosters turn over quickly, and star movement, trades and free agency are constantly reshuffling a team’s makeup. This year’s Cavs are no exception.
The Cleveland Cavaliers of 2021-22 saw 26 players suit up for at least one game. Of those 26, 15 are no longer with the team. That doesn’t even include Ricky Rubio, who was traded away and then returned to the Cavs in free agency to settle “unfinished business.” The Cavs are one of the most static teams in the league, and they still had a fair amount of turnover. Very few players can expect to stay on the same team year over year.
Roster turnover is inevitable in the NBA and for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Which players on the Cavs this year won’t be on the team by next season?
With that in mind, let’s examine the current roster. The “core 4” of young stars will almost certainly be around next season, but what about the remainder of the players around them? Who might still be on the roster in 2023-24, and who is a strong bet to be wearing another jersey by this time next year?
From the 14 players currently on the roster, here are the three players most likely to be playing for another team next season. The actual roster turnover could be even greater, but we’ll keep it to three. We’ve also excluded the two-way players as by definition they are more transient. We’ll start in the point guard room.
3 Cavs players who won’t be on the team by next season: Raul Neto
The position with the most turnover from last year to this year for the Cavs is point guard. Brandon Goodwin, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Pangos and Tim Frazier all played multiple games for the Cavs last season and are not around this year, and Ricky Rubio was traded away but found his way back.
We’re predicting a much more mild turnover in the room this year, as both Darius Garland and Rubio are under contract for multiple seasons. The odd man out could be Raul Neto, who signed a veteran’s minimum deal to be the primary backup point guard for as long as Rubio remained out rehabbing his torn ACL.
Things changed from there for Neto, with the Cavs pulling off a major trade for Donovan Mitchell. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has already indicated that Mitchell will run point guard for at least part of the time that Garland is on the bench. Add in Caris LeVert as an on-ball playmaker, and even with Rubio out of the lineup there may not be much playing time for Neto.
Heading into next season, therefore, Neto will likely leave for a chance at a larger role somewhere else. The Cavs will have Garland and Rubio as primary point guards, and Mitchell and LeVert as combo guards, so they can simply take a flier on a young developmental option or elevate RJ Nembhard Jr. Expect Neto to be on another team next season.
3 Cavs players who won’t be on the team by next season: Dylan Windler
Dylan Windler joined the Cavaliers in the 2019 Draft with plenty of optimism. He had a strong college career at Belmont and brought a great mix of size, shooting and rebounding at the small forward position. The idea of Windler was a perfect fit for what the Cavs needed.
Unfortunately, injuries plagued the first two seasons of Windler’s career, and even though he was healthy last year he had clearly lost a step. Is that gone forever, or will time allow him to regain it? Of even more importance is his shot; the supposed shooter has hit only 32 percent of his 3-pointers with the Cavs.
Reports from training camp are that Windler looks fully healthy and is lighting it up, which would be great to see. If Windler can show some promise in whatever limited minutes he gets this year, it could help him land a deal next season with another team. Unless he really explodes, however, the odds he will play for the Cavs next season are fairly slim.
The Cavs already invested three, soon-to-be four seasons into Windler, and he has returned basically nothing for that investment. If Windler is going to prove himself and stick around the league, it likely needs to happen with another team. Whether the Cavs trade him this season or he walks in free agency next summer, expect Windler to be elsewhere in a year’s time.
3 Cavs players who won’t be on the team by next season: Caris LeVert
We now come to the most controversial option. Robin Lopez is a decent bet to be on another team, as he is on a one-year veteran’s minimum, but he really seems to enjoy being a part of this team already and the Cavs will likely continue to carry a veteran third center. Kevin Love and Lamar Stevens will be free agents, but both could be retained at reasonable money.
The wild card is Caris LeVert. He is currently entering the last year of his deal, and he doesn’t have a clear role with the Cavaliers long-term. He’s an on-ball play creator and passer, but the Cavs have three or four such players they’d rather have holding the ball: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Ricky Rubio. While LeVert can function as a secondary ball-handler in many configurations, it’s a longshot to expect him to be closing games for this team in the playoffs.
The question of price therefore rears its head. Are the Cavs going to pay $15 million or more to LeVert for him to be a 6th or 7th man and not close games? They are much better off pivoting those resources into a true small forward. It’s possible that LeVert buys into the role of guarding 3s and playing off-ball, but he’s never proven he can do that in his career. Much more likely he struggles to find his spot on this team amidst a crowded room of ball-handlers.
Whether the Cavs flip LeVert for help at the 3 before the trade deadline, enact a sign-and-trade next summer or simply let him walk in free agency, it seems increasingly unlikely that Caris LeVert will be around after this upcoming season. He tops the list of players who won’t be on the team by next season.