The Cleveland Cavaliers are keeping the band together after a disappointing second-round exit. Before we go any further, let me say that I'm thrilled about that! NBA teams are far too quick to dismantle their rosters when results don't come immediately, and I've been on record for years saying this Cavs core group deserves a real shot at winning together. To see Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman, and Mike Gansey go all-in with this group and make moves to provide them a better chance at winning should be heartening for fans.
With that being said...They've gotten that shot. Last season looked like their best shot, but a 64-18 record was quickly forgotten after bowing out in five games to the Pacers. Now, in 2025-26, these Cavs might be on their last shot — for a few reasons, chief among them that the Cavs will enter the season as the most expensive team in basketball, and the only team above the "second apron," after the Phoenix Suns waived Bradley Beal.
That's a scary place to be for teams. The penalties for being in the second apron include not being able to aggregate players in a trade (meaning if the Cavs want to make a trade to get under the apron, it would have to be one of their players for multiple, lower-salary players from a different team) and frozen future draft picks, among many others. That apron is no joke.
Essentially, the only way to justify rolling out a team in the second apron is by being really, really good. Fans won't care if you can't trade a future pick for a player who is currently in middle school if your current team is competing for a title. The front office's willingness to stay in the second apron in 2025-26 shows they believe this team will compete for a title. Win now, deal with cap space problems later. That's the motto. That's also a pretty big vote of confidence — and not living up to it this year would feel pretty detrimental and leave the Cavs with no clear place to turn.
Cavaliers could follow Celtics' lead and blow everything up
After Jayson Tatum went down with an awful Achilles tear in the playoffs, the Boston Celtics knew 2025-26 wouldn't be anything close to a championship season. The C's front office then decided there was no reason to pay the luxury tax (and definitely no reason to exceed the second apron) for a team without its star, and the gutting of the Celtics began. But a considerable overhaul was likely even before Tatum's injury — the team was just too expensive in today's second apron world.
Maybe the Cavs follow that lead next summer and commit to a full roster reset, no matter how 2025-26 plays out. There have been rumors about pretty much every Cavs star over the past few years, but next offseason might be when they actually come true, as the Cavs will try to avoid the (very harsh) penalties that come with exceeding the second apron for too long.
The only difference between the Celtics doing it and the Cavs doing it would be... the Celtics won a title! Watching that team be dismantled is surely a sad sight for Boston fans, but it was all worth it in the end. A ring eases the pain.
Will the Cavs be able to say the same? If this team flames out in the playoffs again and the front office is forced to break up the "core four," will it have been worth it? I don't know the answer to that. But I do know that if the Cavs do win a title (or even make it to the NBA Finals, frankly) then it will feel like all the work to build this iteration of the Cavs wasn't all for nothing.
Like I said, I'm happy this version of the Cavs gets another shot at a deep playoff run. But it has to happen this year, as the financial ramifications lurk in the rearview mirror.