Last season, Cedi Osman posted career-lows, aside from his rookie season. He posted his lowest minutes per game at 20.1 minutes a night, and he averaged 8.7 points and 1.5 assists, and only started two out of his 77 games. Yes, Osman may not be a starting-caliber player anymore, but that doesn’t mean he is not still effective.
Osman seems to be a fan favorite in Cleveland, everyone loves his personality, hustle, and most importantly, his incredible hair. He is 28 years old, and won’t be 29 until next year, so he’s still in his prime as of now.
Osman’s contract becomes guaranteed June 29, so the Cavs still do have time to release him and not have to pay Osman anything for the 2023-24 season. Osman is slated to make $6.7 million next season, so if the Cavs were to waive him, they would save that money.
That raises the question: should the Cavs waive Cedi Osman? That’s a valid question, and there are good arguments for both sides. He is currently the longest-tenured Cavalier on the roster, but if he is to be waived, then that’ll mean Darius Garland will be the longest-tenured Cavs player. In fairness, just because Osman has been on the Cavaliers the longest doesn’t mean that should prohibit Koby Altman from releasing him, but it is something to mention.
Additionally, even though Osman does not play a lot of minutes, he always seems joyful and excited to see his teammates succeed, which has to have played some into him sticking him around to this point.
With that out of the way, and without further ado, here are the pros and cons of Cleveland potentially moving on from Osman.
Let’s begin with the pros.