The Cleveland Cavaliers have gone nearly the entire season with an open roster spot. They have kept 14 players fully rostered, with an additional two players on two-way contracts. Right when they signed Danny Green to fill that 15th and final spot, they agreed to a buyout with Kevin Love to open it right back up.
NBA teams are required to have 14 players on their roster; the 15th is not a must. With that being said, it’s a resource available to the Cavaliers that they should use to their advantage. Especially with Dylan Windler relatively unplayable, the Cavs should try to make use of the spot.
One option is to use it to sign one of their two-way players to a full contract. Players on a two-way are ineligible for the postseason, so signing Isaiah Mobley or Mamadi Diakite to that spot would allow them to play in the playoffs. They could also sign a player straight out of the G League.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could sign a veteran free agent to their final roster spot
Neither player is likely to be relied upon in the playoffs, however, while there are a few veteran free agents available right now with the experience J.B. Bickerstaff might crave. None are game-changers, but each can serve as an emergency backup to a key rotation player in case of injury. Let’s look at each and see whether they would be worth signing by the Cavaliers to fill that final spot.