Yahoo Sports Cavaliers offseason primer: Small forward help, Caris LeVert free agency, more
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a successful season by making the playoffs without LeBron James for the first time since 1998. They are on a strong trajectory after selecting Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in the draft. The organization saw enough promise from the team last season that they felt it was time to go all in and acquire Donovan Mitchell to push them into the playoffs.
The trade will help them win a lot of regular season games but the roster still lacks the defensive versatility to make a meaningful playoff run. The Knicks defeated the Cavaliers by attacking that weakness and now Cleveland will have a difficult time addressing that need with little to no trade assets left at their disposal. Their best shot could be to pursue one with cap space or with the mid-level exception.
Here is a preview of the 2023 offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
State of the roster and team needs
The Cavaliers are heading into the offseason with 10 players under contract. They will have four more roster spots to fill and roughly $35 million below the luxury tax line to make it fit. The Cavaliers’ biggest need is a 3-and-D forward who can start and is consistent on both ends of the floor. It will be challenging to acquire a player that checks all those boxes without cap space or adequate assets to acquire one in a trade.
As of now, the Cavaliers project to be an over-the-cap team with the $12.2 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and $4.5 million bi-annual exception. One path they could take this offseason is utilizing both exceptions and re-signing Caris LeVert. This could serve as a fallback plan if nothing better materializes since they could accomplish all this while staying under the tax.
Some players they could realistically target with the MLE are role players such as Josh Richardson, Jalen McDaniels, and Kelly Oubre. They could also try to trade for a forward with the MLE since the new CBA allows it to be used as a trade exception. Some players they could target via trade include Royce O’Neale, Reggie Bullock, and Alec Burks.
The Cavaliers could go after a bigger name if they pursue the cap space route. They could get to around $24 million in space if they waive Cedi Osman’s non-guaranteed $6.7 million salary and dump the salaries of Isaac Okoro and Ricky Rubio via trades. They could then go after players such as Draymond Green, Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma, Cameron Johnson, and Dillon Brooks. They would then have the $7.6 million room mid-level exception to pursue another role player in free agency or trade.
How the new CBA affects them
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The new CBA will impact the Cavaliers positively, at least in the short term. One of the new rules eliminates the designated rookie rule which allows teams to roster no more than two players on five-year maximum rookie scale contracts. They already have two in Garland and Mitchell, which would prevent them from extending Mobley to a five-year deal. Now all players on rookie-scale contracts can extend for up to five years.
Their considerable distance from the apron gives them additional trade flexibility, at least for these next two seasons while Mobley remains on his rookie contract. Along with their exceptions now serving as trade exceptions, they can take back slightly more salary in deals than the current CBA allows. This could give them a better chance of acquiring specific targets that were previously out of their price range.
Things will get complicated starting 2025-26 once Mobley’s presumed max extension kicks in. Assuming Garland, Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen are still on the roster, the Cavaliers will be a luxury tax team and deep enough into it to be over the second tax apron. The new modified tax rates are set to kick in that season which increases rates starting at the third level (roughly $11 million over the luxury tax line).
The second tax apron (roughly $17.5 million over the tax line) will restrict teams in many ways, such as freezing their draft pick seven years out, eliminating access to the mid-level exception, and preventing teams from increasing payroll via trade. Clubs above it can only increase their payroll by re-signing their own players, signing draft picks, and minimum players.
The Cavaliers will need to make sure the team is deep enough before venturing above the second apron. They’re already at a disadvantage toward replenishing future depth since they no longer have their 2025, 2027, and 2029 first-round picks.
Free agent: Caris LeVert
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Caris LeVert will be Cleveland’s top free agent this offseason. His long-term fit with the Cavaliers completely shifted once they acquired Mitchell. He periodically started and closed as their small forward at the beginning of the season and most recently in the playoffs. He projects better as a high-end guard off the bench if the Cavaliers could acquire a starting small forward. It still makes sense to retain LeVert if they could re-sign him to a team-friendly deal that keeps them under the tax.
Extension candidate: Isaac Okoro
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Isaac Okoro will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension for up to five years. He’s Cleveland’s best perimeter defender and for a brief stretch he looked like he could be their answer at small forward. However, his lack of offense and shooting inconsistency remains a big negative in his game. He’s far from playing to the level of a former fifth overall selection but he still projects to be a productive player in the league for a long time. What players like Josh Hart, Bruce Brown, Torrey Craig, and Josh Okogie get this offseason could determine the market for Okoro.
2023-24 SALARY SITUATION
Players rostered: 10
Guaranteed salaries: $116.4 million
Non-guaranteed salaries: $10.6 million
Total salary: $127 million
Luxury tax space: $35 million
Apron space: $42 million
Second apron space: $52.5 million
Spending power:
Non-taxpayer Mid-level: $12.2 million
Bi-Annual: $4.5 million
Ochai Agbaji trade exception: $3,918,360 (expires September 4, 2023)
Darius Garland
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $33,500,000
Remaining salary guaranteed: $194,300,000 through 2027-28
Donovan Mitchell
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $33,162,030
Remaining salary guaranteed: $104,545,020 through 2025-26
Additional notes:
Extension-eligible during the 2023 offseason for up to two years, projected at $81 million
2025-26 salary is a player option worth $37.1 million
Jarrett Allen
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $20,000,000
Remaining salary guaranteed: $60,000,000 through 2025-26
Isaac Okoro
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $8,920,795
Remaining salary guaranteed: $8,920,795
Additional notes:
Eligible to sign a rookie-scale extension during the offseason for up to five years
Evan Mobley
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $8,882,640
Remaining salary guaranteed: $20,110,297 through 2024-25
Cedi Osman
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $6,718,842
Remaining salary guaranteed: $0
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary is non-guaranteed. Fully guaranteed if not waived by June 23
Extension-eligible throughout 2023-24
Ricky Rubio
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $6,146,342
Remaining salary guaranteed: $12,585,367
Additional notes:
2024-25 salary is partially guaranteed for $4.25 million. Fully guaranteed if not waived by June 24
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 salary: $5,709,877
Remaining salary guaranteed: $18,500,000 through 2025-26
Additional notes:
2025-26 salary is partially guaranteed for $4,623,458 million
2023-24 salary: $1,997,238
Remaining salary guaranteed: $0
Additional notes:
2023-24 and 2024-25 salaries are non-guaranteed.
2023-24 salary: $1,930,681 (team option)
Remaining salary guaranteed: $0
Additional notes:
2023-24 salary is non-guaranteed. Fully guaranteed if not waived by the leaguewide cutdown date
Extension-eligible throughout 2023-24
Caris LeVert
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Cap hold: $28,194,444
Type of free agent: Bird (unrestricted)
Additional notes:
Can avoid free agency and extend with the Cavaliers by June 30
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Cap hold: $12,111,834
Type of free agent: Bird (restricted)
Additional notes:
Qualifying offer: $5,959,022
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Cap hold: $2,400,000
Type of free agent: Bird (unrestricted)
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Cap hold: $1,989,698
Type of free agent: Bird (unrestricted)
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Cap hold: $1,989,698
Type of free agent: Bird (unrestricted)
Cap hold: $1,774,999
Type of free agent: Bird (restricted)
Cap hold: $1,774,999
Type of free agent: Bird (restricted)
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