Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is stepping in as the team continues to suffer a disastrous season.
Through the first 29 games, the Cavs hold a 15-14 record and have lost the last three, all against teams with sub .500 records. While Cleveland is still battling with a lengthy injury list, the Cavaliers' effort has been unacceptable on the court. Nearly every player on the team not name Donovan Mitchell is shooting at career-low efficiency. Jarrett Allen's rebounding is at the worst of his career since his rookie season.
Whether by bad injury luck or not, the Cavaliers need a change in some way. That change may not be in a trade, but if Cleveland continues so to lazily stumble through the season, their chances at fighting for an NBA Finals run are slim to none.
As trade season begins, the Cavs' core four is once again circulating throughout every rumor mill. Mitchell and Evan Mobley are the only two reportedly untouchable players, marking the potential for a full retool of a team searching for any real identity.
For Cleveland to make a trade, though, they must face the reality of their own decisions this summer. The Cavs are over $20 million above the second apron, which heavily restricts their trade and free agency opportunities. Cleveland cannot accept more money than they send out in a trade, and they cannot trade multiple players at once unless the trade subsequently removes them from the second apron.
Beyond trade restrictions, the second apron charges the Cavaliers with a hefty luxury tax bill at the end of the season if they remain above the threshold. Designed to limit super teams that overspend and hurt competition, the second apron may be the final straw that breaks the Cavs' core.
Dan Gilbert knows the Cavaliers are not built for the second apron
The one paying the second apron luxury tax bill is the team's owner, and the Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert is reportedly stepping in as the season falls apart, per Cavaliers insider Chris Fedor. With Gilbert getting more involved, the potential impact of any shake up in Clevleand rises significantly.
Gilbert has traditionally trusted his general managers, especially current president of basketball operations Koby Altman. Throughout the current core four era, Altman has steered the ship and made the major decisions. He executed the 2022 Mitchell blockbuster trade and has been the architect behind every roster decision the Cavs have made since that deal.
By all measures, this Cavaliers roster is Altman's creation. His best, and worst, decisions all played a role in last year's 64 wins - and the following playoff embarrassment.
Now, it may look more like Gilbert's team by season's end.
"Dan Gilbert is very unhappy about what is going on... He's paying a huge luxury tax bill. It's the highest payroll in the NBA. It's the only team in the second apron. He's willing to do that when he thinks the team has a chance to win a championship... But it's not that early anymore. When you see this 29 games in, you start asking questions if you're the guy in charge of everything with this organization."Chris Fedor
Altman has reasonably been hesitant to trade any member of the core. While the postseason results have been less-than-stellar, the team's youth and continual growth offered a positive view for the future. As the Cavs look defeated and unwilling to fight, major change may be the only option to reignite the team's fire.
Understandably, Altman is not going to say the painful the truth Cavaliers fans are seeing. With Gilbert more involved, however, the team may finally have to face the truth that they are not built for the second apron.
Cleveland cannot afford to remove any avenues for noticeable improvement through trades or free agency. While the core has shown flashes of dominance, the team's overall structure is not able to win when it matters most, and real change is the only way to achieve that.
With Mitchell's NBA future looming over Cleveland next summer, the Cavs must choose a direction. The bench has been reshaped around the core. J.B. Bickerstaff was removed from his head coaching position and replaced with an all-new coaching staff. The only aspect the Cleveland Cavaliers have not altered is the core since the inception, and Gilbert may finally force the front office to reckon with the mess it has made.