The Cleveland Cavaliers are about to get expensive.
In a brilliant piece of tradesmanship, this year's Cavaliers ducked the luxury tax while also making the team better in trading for De'Andre Hunter (to be fair, not significantly better -- Caris LeVert and Georges Niang are ballers). That bit of financial savings will be extremely important moving forward, as the Cavs project to be deep into the luxury tax for the forseeable future.
The joy of nailing your draft picks, trades and signings is that you build a team like this year's Cavaliers, leading the Eastern Conference and an inner-circle title contender. The cost is that you have to pay as those players earn larger salaries. In the NBA, building a contender is difficult; maintaining one is even harder.
What salary amounts are awaiting the Cavaliers next season, when the bill for this roster spikes into the second-apron stratosphere? Let's rank every player under contract for 2025-26 by how much they will be earning, starting with a name who appears to be on track for a massive payday this summer.
No. 1 (Tied) - Evan Mobley, $46.4 million (30%)
What Evan Mobley will make next season is not yet set in stone, because the maximum rookie extension that he signed last summer has "Rose Rule" language written into it. Essentially, Mobley is on track to make $38.7 million next season, the maximum 25 percent of the projected salary cap that a player can make coming off of their rookie-scale contract.
What the Rose Rule language does is make Mobley eligible for a pay bump if he hits certain thresholds: an All-NBA team, MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. If Mobley makes Third-Team All-NBA, which seems close to a lock at this point, he will make 27.5 percent of next year's salary cap, or roughly $42 million. If he makes first or second-team, or wins Defensive Player of the Year, he will make 30 percent.
At this point, with the likes of Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis bowing out of season-end awards, the road is open to Mobley making either Second Team All-NBA or winning Defensive Player of the Year. If so, he will tie Donovan Mitchell in making 30 percent of the salary cap, projected at $46.4 million for next season.
No. 1 (Tied) - Donovan Mitchell, $46.4 million (30%)
The face of the franchise, even if Mobley is hot on his wheels for the title of the team's "best" player, Donovan Mitchell has been excellent in a wine-and-gold uniform since joining the team three seasons ago. He agreed to a max contract extension last summer, committing to the Cavaliers organization in the process.
He will make $46.4 million next season in the first year of a "2+1" contract, which gives him a player option in 2027-28. At that point he will 10 years of service in the NBA, making him eligible for an even more lucrative deal were he to recommit to the Cavaliers.
No. 3 - Darius Garland, $39.4 million (25.5%)
Darius Garland signed a maximum rookie extension in the summer of 2022 and it kicked in last season at exactly 25 percent of the salary cap. His salary for this year increased based on the extension's starting salary, not this year's salary cap, so he actually made 26.1 percent of the salary cap -- $36.7 million - which is the highest cap hit on the team this season.
After a down season in 2023-24, Garland has bounced back in a major way, having the most efficient season of his career and playing a key part in the league's best offense. His contract will increase next season again but by less than the salary cap, so he will make 25.5 percent of the cap, roughly $39.4 million, which will rank third on the team unless Mobley fails to qualify for his increase, in which case he will be second.
No. 4 - De'Andre Hunter, $23.3 million (15.1%)
The Cavaliers' latest acquisition checks in at fourth on our list at $23.3 million. He will be entering the third season of his four-year extension and making around 15 percent of the salary cap, which is a totally fine number for a starter but becomes more cumbersome given the star players the team is paying.
The Cavs were headed toward a decision this summer with Caris LeVert and whether or not to pay him; it's unlikely that he makes more than Hunter is now when he signs his new deal, but the cost certainty of having a wing under contract was a motivating factor in trading for Hunter, who has two seasons left on his contract before he reaches free agency.
No. 5 - Jarrett Allen, $20 million (12.9%)
Checking in at less than 13 percent of next year's estimated salary cap is Jarrett Allen, the fourth "star" of the team. While Allen has signed a new contract extension it will not kick in until 2026-27, giving Cleveland one more season of a true bargain at the center position.
Allen's place on the team is and never will be a seamless fit given Evan Mobley's ability to play center, but the team is excelling this year on both ends of the court and Allen continues to be a major part of that success. His contract extension is for three seasons after next, stretching all the way through 2028-29; only Mobley is under contract for longer.
No. 6 - Max Strus, $15.9 million (10.3%)
The Cavaliers signed Max Strus to a contract that ran a few million over the Non-taxpayer Mid-level Exception in the summer of 2023, and it is proving to be a bargain given the impact Strus is having on the team and specifically in the starting lineup. He is not an elite defender or highly-accurate shooter, but he is above-average at both and has significant shooting gravity given his off-ball movement.
It's not a lock that Strus is around long-term, but his deal increases more slowly than the salary cap and he will take up just 9.8 percent of the salary cap by the final year in 2026-27. Given the paucity of two-way wings available around the NBA, that's a valuable deal to keep around.
No. 7 - Isaac Okoro, $11 million (7.1%)
The Cavaliers didn't commit significant resources to Isaac Okoro last summer when he hit restricted free agency, but no one else wanted to either and so Cleveland got him back on a perfectly reasonable three-year deal. He will make $11 million next year in the second season of the contract, a paltry seven percent of the cap. Given that he does play a role on a title contender and can spot-start as needed it was well worth keeping him around.
No. 8 - Dean Wade, $6.6 million (4.3%)
The biggest bargain on the entire roster is Dean Wade, who has proven that when healthy (admittedly a big 'if') he is an excellent 3-and-D forward who fits in nearly any lineup the Cavaliers need to put on the floor.
Do they need a small forward to start alongside the other stars? Wade was exccellent in that role to start the season. A smallball center to play 5-out lineups? He stepped up to the plate. His availability is a real problem, but when he plays he is worth three times his salary or more. $6.6 million is a paltry sum compared to the value he brings.
No. 9 - Jaylon Tyson, $3.5 million (2.3%)
One of the reasons teams are wise not to jettison every first-round draft pick for win-now veteran players is that drafting a player means adding a cost-controlled roster spot for the next four seasons. Hit on a draft pick and you have an inexpensive role player who can allow you to spend money on more expensive help.
The Cavaliers enjoyed that blessing with Evan Mobley the past few seasons, and it now appears they can do the same with Jaylon Tyson, who has put together a handful of memorable performances in his rookie season and looks like a long-term bench forward at worst, and a future starter at best. He will make between 2 and 3 percent of the salary cap for three more seasons after this one.
No. 10 - Craig Porter Jr., $2.2 million (1.4%)
Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Tristan Thompson and Javonte Green are all free agents this summer, making Craig Porter Jr. the final player under contract for next season. He makes just over one percent of the salary cap next year and the same playing on a team option in 2026-27.
The Cavaliers may work with Porter after next season to decline that team option and sign a new deal, or he could be tossed into a trade or waived. He has not had the opportunity to play a significant role this year with Garland, Mitchell and Jerome largely healthy, but he has proven quite capable when asked to step up. He would be worth keeping around if they can keep Porter at a discount.