As the Cleveland Cavaliers look to escape the second apron this offseason, it doesn't sound at all like they'll be moving on from any of their core four players to help accomplish that goal. Every NBA insider has reported that the Cavs are going to re-sign James Harden to a new, lower-AAV deal, and Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman spoke glowingly on Friday (during his exit interview) about Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, not hiding his and the organization's commitment to each of those guys moving forward.
Indeed, it sounds like the Cavs are going to run it back in 2026-27 ... at least as it concerns their head coach and aforementioned core four. Cleveland will have to make some major moves to shed salary, however, and when you look at their cap sheet for next season, there are only two players making above $10 million who aren't the core four: Max Strus ($16.7 million) and Dennis Schroder ($14.8 million).
Strus and Schroder, thus, are the obvious candidates to be traded if you're sitting in Altman's chair and are desperate to shed salary. And from Altman's comments on Friday, it definitely sounds like Schroder is going to get moved.
Cavaliers' president of basketball operations just inadvertently hinted at a Dennis Schroder trade
When asked by a reporter which Cavalier will be the biggest beneficiary of offseason growth, Altman zeroed in on point guard Tyrese Proctor, who just finished his rookie season. "Tyrese Proctor is gonna have a big offseason for us," Altman said.
Why was this an indication that Schroder will be gone, you ask? Well, if you look at Cleveland's expected lineup in 2026-27, its starting backcourt will be Harden and Mitchell. And if Schroder were part of that plan, along with Craig Porter Jr. (whose $2.4 million club option that Cavaliers have little reason not to exercise), where exactly would Proctor fit into the equation? And why would he need to have such a "big" offseason? To prepare for another minimal role replete with DNP's throughout the year?
Cavaliers are planning to feature Tyrese Proctor in their rotation next season
Read between the lines, and you'll see that Altman was basically hinting at an increased role for Proctor as a regular bench player in 2026-27 for Cleveland. Proctor's role was minimal in his rookie campaign. His minutes (10.9 per game during the regular season) decreased substantially once Schroder arrived, and he logged only 3.3 minutes per game during the postseason.
It's obvious: Altman is planning to trade Schroder. Promoting Proctor the way he did on Friday was a slip from Altman in the sense that he allowed his inner dialogue/private plans for the roster to show for a moment. He's telling himself that Proctor can take a leap for the Cavs in 2026-27 as a way to feel better about having to get off of Schroder's contract. And this might not be complete delusion, either, as Proctor is a very good player who proved his value at Duke, even if he's as yet unproven in the pros.
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