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Southwest Notes: Ingram, Spurs, Mavericks

August 22nd, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Brandon Ingram situation will be a fascinating one to watch this season if he and the Pelicans don’t work out an extension before the regular season begins, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

Clark believes New Orleans would have liked to move Ingram in a trade for a starting center this offseason, but couldn’t find a deal that made sense, with targets like Jarrett Allen and Nic Claxton signing long-term deals with their respective teams and Orlando deciding to hang onto Wendell Carter.

While Ingram is a virtual lock to start for the Pelicans as long as he’s on the roster, there will be several starting-caliber players vying for minutes in late-game situations, Clark notes. Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy will all be in that mix, and if New Orleans wants to use a traditional center in certain matchups, Daniel Theis figures to join them.

As Clark points out, Ingram was frustrated when he was benched during the fourth quarter this past spring in the Pelicans’ play-in loss to the Lakers, so it could be awkward if that situation repeats itself in the coming season, with the team asking the former All-Star to sacrifice while he’s playing for his next contract. Ingram could become a more indispensable part of the team’s closing lineups if he’s willing to be a floor spacer and shoot more three-pointers, Clark adds.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Given the strength of the Western Conference and the fact that they only won 22 games last season, the Spurs may not be quite ready to enter the play-in mix in 2024/25, opines Kelly Iko of The Athletic. While Victor Wembanyama figures to take another step forward and the veteran additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes will help, Iko stresses that San Antonio is committed to a patient roster-building approach and could still be the worst team in a strong Southwest Division next season.
  • Iko ranks the Pelicans ahead of the Mavericks in his early projection of the division’s standings, but he believes Dallas had the slightly better offseason overall and lauds the team for improving its outside shooting by adding Klay Thompson and Quentin Grimes, among others. Iko’s mailbag also explores the Rockets‘ projected win total, Zach Edey‘s potential impact on the Grizzlies, and a few more topics from around the Southwest.
  • Grant Afseth of NBAAnalysis.net takes an in-depth look at the Mavericks‘ offseason moves, exploring how Thompson will be deployed, who will replace Derrick Jones as the team’s go-to on-ball defender, and whether Spencer Dinwiddie is in position to replicate his past success in Dallas. Afseth also discusses the ongoing evolution of the Kyrie Irving/Luka Doncic backcourt duo and Dereck Lively‘s continued development.
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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Los Angeles Lakers

August 22nd, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Free agent signings

  • LeBron James: Two years, $101,355,998. Second-year player option. Includes no-trade clause and 15% trade kicker. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Max Christie: Four years, $32,000,000. Fourth-year player option. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
  • Kylor Kelley: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Quincy Olivari: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • None

Draft picks

  • 1-17: Dalton Knecht
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $18,483,219).
  • 2-55: Bronny James
    • Signed to four-year, minimum-salary contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($1,258,873). Fourth-year team option.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and between the first tax apron ($178.1MM) and second tax apron ($188.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $188.2MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available, but can’t be used due to proximity to second apron.

The offseason so far

Lakers forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis have repeatedly shown, most recently at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, that they remain capable of performing at a superstar level and anchoring a contending team. But the Lakers’ front office wasn’t able to do much this summer to further fortify the supporting cast around James and Davis.

The Lakers’ cap limitations were a factor in the team’s relative inactivity. After re-signing James to a new two-year deal a little below the max and locking up restricted free agent Max Christie to a four-year, $32MM contract, the team’s salary is hovering just below the second tax apron. That means Los Angeles can’t offer more than the veteran’s minimum to any outside free agents.

The Lakers explored potential upgrades on the trade market, but they don’t really have the assets necessary to make any significant upgrades via that route either.

The team has reportedly been unwilling to seriously consider moving Austin Reaves, the best trade chip on the roster outside of James and Davis. Most of the other vets – Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a series of minimum-salary players (Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish) – have neutral trade value at best, and L.A. can’t take back more salary than it sends out.

Ultimately, the Lakers appear likely to enter the 2024/25 season with a relatively similar roster to the one that finished the ’23/24 campaign. They’ll bet on internal improvement and will hope to get some contributions from their newly drafted rookies.

Christie’s new $32MM deal may have surprised some, but it could turn out to be a bargain if the 2022 second-round pick continues to develop into a reliable rotation piece. He’s a 37.8% career three-point shooter (in a limited sample) and has the tools to be a good defender. Jalen Hood-Schifino is another candidate to take a step forward following an underwhelming rookie year, though he doesn’t look quite as ready for an increased role as Christie.

As for the rookies, Bronny James got way more press this summer than first-round pick Dalton Knecht, and that trend figures to continue into the fall as Bronny and LeBron become the first father-son duo to suit up alongside one another in an NBA game. But it’s Knecht who is more likely to make an immediate impact for the Lakers.

The former Tennessee standout is a talented three-point shooter whose ability to spread the floor should be of immediate use to a team that ranked 24th last season in made three-pointers. Knecht’s strong Las Vegas Summer League showing (21.3 PPG, .391 3PT%) generated optimism that his adjustment to the NBA could be a relatively quick one — especially since, at age 23, he’s two years older than Christie and Hood-Schifino.

The most notable new addition the Lakers made this summer may actually have been on the sidelines rather than on the roster. The team parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham and replaced him with first-timer J.J. Redick, following a lengthy search that included a very public flirtation with UConn’s Dan Hurley.

While Redick’s ability to think creatively about the game shone through in his work as an analyst and podcaster, he doesn’t have any coaching experience at the NBA level, so hiring him to lead one of the league’s marquee franchises in one of the country’s largest markets is certainly a big swing. The Lakers reportedly envision Redick as a coach with elite upside who has the potential to stick in the job long-term, but he’ll find himself under the microscope early and often if L.A. doesn’t get off to a strong start this fall.

Up next

With 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, the Lakers’ roster looks ready for the regular season. I imagine they’ll continue to keep an eye out for possible trades, but those are more likely to materialize during the season than before it.

Literally every player on the Lakers’ roster has signed a new contract since July 2023, so no one will be eligible for an extension ahead of opening night this fall. That means, barring some action on the trade market, the Lakers’ fall could end up being just as quiet from a transaction perspective as their summer has been.

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International Notes: Jones, Garuba, Tillie

August 21st, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Carlik Jones has had two terrific summers in a row while playing for South Sudan’s national team. He had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against the United States in an Olympic tune-up this summer, becoming the first player to ever record a triple-double versus the U.S. Olympic team.

Due to his stellar play, Jones was considered a candidate for an NBA roster spot. He previously spent parts of two seasons in the league, appearing in 12 total regular season games. However, Jones will instead play in the EuroLeague for the first time in his career.

According to a report from Eurohoops.net, Jones did in fact receive NBA interest from teams this offseason.

“There were a few offers from the NBA, but not as many as reported,” Jones said. “Many people were worried and nervous, but you shouldn’t believe everything that is written. It’s true that I received some offers, but I knew from the beginning that Partizan was the ideal club for me. It seemed like the best decision.”

Jones said he appreciated that KK Partizan, the team who signed him, was straightforward about his potential role.

We have more international notes:

  • Former first-round pick Usman Garuba recently signed a contract with Real Madrid, marking a return to the club for the former Rockets and Warriors forward, who was born and raised in Madrid. “It’s an incredible feeling to return to what has been my home since I was 10 or 11 years old,” Garuba said, as relayed by Eurohoops.net. “Being able to come back here is a dream for me. I’m very happy and looking forward to it. For me, Real Madrid has been everything from the very first moment. I have developed here in every sense, both academically and as a player. I have to thank this club for everything I am today,” Garuba averaged 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 105 games.
  • Former Grizzlies forward Killian Tillie signed with Unicaja Malaga in Spain, as Eurohoops.net relays. Tillie played in 54 games with the Grizzlies between 2020-22 and most recently participated in Summer League with the Celtics. Tillie’s return to professional basketball comes after two-and-a-half years of rehab from various injuries, including back surgery. He reportedly drew interest from NBA teams earlier this offseason.
  • In case you missed it, former Bucks guard Jaylin Galloway is returning to the Sydney Kings, the NBL team he played for before making the jump to the NBA.
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Knicks Notes: Randle, Rotation, Kolek, Yurtseven, Bridges

August 21st, 2024 at 8:18pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Any hypothetical trade involving Julius Randle, who has a player option for 2025/26, is difficult because no team seems to value him more than the Knicks do, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes in part two of his mailbag. He has a fair contract worth $28.9MM this season, but any team who trades for him would have to extend him and wouldn’t want to give up a package that would seem suitable for New York.

As Katz relays, there’s no indication New York even wants to trade Randle, who averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season.

Katz compares the situation to what is currently happening with Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans. Because New Orleans values Ingram too much to give him for nothing, it makes it difficult to trade him to other teams who don’t want to sacrifice many assets if they have to pay him big money. Still, as Katz writes, making such an attempt to move Randle doesn’t make sense at this juncture for one of New York’s most important pieces.

We have more from the Knicks:

  • Randle might man the center position more often this season, Katz writes in the same piece. He’s in prime position to take the role Isaiah Hartenstein filled last year in terms of taking dump-offs from Jalen Brunson and using his ball-handling skills in the middle.
  • New York has always been strict about handing out minutes to rookies, making sure that said minutes are earned and not given. While Tyler Kolek could impress early, Katz doesn’t see the Knicks’ 34th overall pick playing much right away, especially since the team signed Cameron Payne to fill the third point guard spot on the roster.
  • As we’ve written in recent days, Omer Yurtseven has an agreement in principle to join Greek club Panathinaikos. He originally worked out for the Knicks in early, who extended him a contract offer, according to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). However, Begley writes that the offer from New York wasn’t something he would seriously consider, which seems to indicate that the deal may have been a non-guaranteed offer to join the team in training camp.
  • Mikal Bridges‘ impact on the Knicks is being overlooked before the season starts, argues The Sporting News’s Scott Davis. In Bridges, the Knicks are getting one of the best defensive wings in the league who doesn’t have to be the No. 1 option for the franchise. He’ll be able to lead reserve units, for sure, but he’ll also be able to catch and shoot while being a strong backside cut option.
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And-Ones: 2024/25 Awards, Gaston, Underrated Offseason Moves, Thomas

August 21st, 2024 at 6:15pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Entering the 2024/25 season, the top three finalists for last year’s MVP appear to once again be the leading candidates for the award. A panel of ESPN’s sportswriters and analysts predict how the upcoming season’s award season will pan out and Luka Doncic received 48% of first-place votes for Most Valuable Player (ESPN+ link). Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander round out the top three.

Neither of the 2024 draft’s top two picks crack ESPN’s top five Rookie of the Year predictions. Houston’s Reed Sheppard is the overwhelming favorite among the finalists, earning 62% of first place votes. Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan round out the top three. As explained in the article, Sheppard potentially playing big minutes right away for a team with playoff aspirations may have factored into the voting.

Another race ESPN’s writers don’t think will be close is that of the Defensive Player of the Year award. Victor Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite with 67% of first-place votes, with Bam Adebayo (14%) and Rudy Gobert (5%) rounding out the top three. Wembanyama made an immediate impact on the defensive end last season, putting up multiple outings with video game-level box scores en route to averaging 1.2 steals and 3.6 blocks as a rookie.

As usual, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year had less of a consensus in terms of preseason favorites. Malik Monk and Alex Caruso lead the way for the Sixth Man award, but Naz Reid, Jaime Jaquez, T.J. McConnell and Bobby Portis all earned at least 10% of the first-place votes. Wembanyama and other young players were atop the list of Most Improved candidates, while Coby White, who finished second in MIP voting last season, also ranked highly. After his team made several moves this offseason, New York’s Tom Thibodeau led the way in votes for the top coach spot.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Former CEO of Family First agency, Chris Gaston, is making the move to Octagon Basketball, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Gaston is the agent of former NBAers Damyean Dotson, Chris Smith and Josh Gray. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are among current NBA players repped by Octagon.
  • The Mavericks trading Tim Hardaway Jr. and second-round picks for Quentin Grimes is one of the more underrated moves of the offseason, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. Moving Hardaway not only brought in a young wing in Grimes but it also set the stage for Dallas to have enough cap flexibility to sign Naji Marshall and acquire Klay Thompson. Another underrated move in Hollinger’s eyes was Phoenix adding Tyus Jones, which gave the Suns a starting-caliber point guard without sacrificing any further draft capital. Other moves Hollinger liked were the Warriors‘ additions, The Rockets‘ draft capital maneuvering and the Timberwolves‘ trade to move into the top 10 of this year’s draft.
  • Brodric Thomas is the latest player to join the G League United roster for the September exhibition tournament, as announced by the league (Twitter link). Thomas has appeared in 44 games across two NBA seasons with Houston, Cleveland and Boston. The tournament is set to take place on Sept. 4 and 6 against KK Mega Basket.
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Decisions On 2025/26 Rookie Scale Team Options

August 21st, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

While decisions on player and team options for veteran NBA contracts are typically due in June, the deadline to exercise third- and fourth-year team options for players on rookie scale contracts arrives each fall. This year’s deadline for teams to pick up rookie scale options is October 31, 2024.

All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by Oct. 31 are already under contract for the 2024/25 season. Their teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to lock in those players’ contracts beyond the coming season, picking up or turning down team options for the 2025/26 campaign.

For players who signed their rookie scale contracts in 2022 and have already been in the NBA for two years, teams must decide on fourth-year options for 2025/26. For players who just signed their rookie deals last year and only have one season of NBA experience under their belts, teams will already be faced with a decision on third-year options for ’25/26.

In many cases, these decisions aren’t difficult ones. Rookie scale salaries are affordable enough that it usually makes sense to exercise most of these team options, even if a player isn’t a key cog on the roster. And for those players who do have a significant role on a team’s roster, the decision is even easier — it’s not as if the Hornets will consider turning down their option on Brandon Miller, for instance.

Still, we’ll wait for a trusted reporter, the NBA, a player (or his agent), or a team itself to confirm that an option is indeed being exercised or declined, and we’ll track that news in this space.

Listed below are all the rookie scale decisions for 2025/26 team options that clubs must make by Oct. 31. This list will be updated through the deadline as teams’ decisions are reported and announced. The salary figures listed here reflect the cap hits for each team.

Here are the NBA’s rookie scale team option decisions for 2025/26 salaries:

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

  • None

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • None

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • None

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

  • None

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

  • None

Phoenix Suns

  • None

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

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Eastern Notes: Council, Celtics, Lillard, ’24/25 Standings

August 21st, 2024 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

As he prepares for his second NBA season, Sixers swingman Ricky Council has been participating this summer in the private runs held in Los Angeles by Sixers assistant Rico Hines, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Council is working on fine-tuning his game in the hope of earning rotation minutes in Philadelphia in 2024/25.

“This summer has been a whole lot of work, maybe even more than last year,” Council said. “Keeping my shooting touch up, working on different finishing moves, just learning the game, playing against good competition every day. All that’s going to help me in the long run.”

Having spent most of his rookie season in 2023/24 on a two-way contract, Council didn’t see a ton of action at the NBA level, but he impressed in his limited minutes, averaging 5.4 points in 32 outings (9.0 MPG), with a shooting line of .482/.375/.746. He knows that in order to get more playing time in ’24/25, he’ll have to show he can excel in a complementary role.

“We have Paul George. We have Tyrese Maxey and we have Joel Embiid,” Council said. “I don’t expect they’ll need much off the dribble in that nature. So I just need to be able to hit open shots and guard people.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • There’s “zero truth” to rumors that billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is interested in bidding on the Celtics, a source close to Bezos tells Nick Wingfield of The Information. As Kurt Helin of NBC Sports notes, there has been speculation in league circles that Bezos may have interest in being involved in an expansion franchise in Seattle, but it doesn’t sound like he’s looking to gain control of the defending champions, whose majority ownership group put its stake up for sale earlier this summer.
  • Appearing on the Club 520 Podcast (YouTube link), Bucks guard Damian Lillard admitted that his first year in Milwaukee last season was a “harder transition” than he expected. In addition to going through a tumultuous period in his personal life at the time, he also found it challenging to adjust to playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton after being traded from Portland to Milwaukee just days before training camp. “I’m having to get used to playing with two (great) players and I don’t want to stop them from doing what they do,” Lillard said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “But I got to find how to be the best version of me within this too, so it was just a lot of moving parts. It was more difficult than I thought it would would be.”
  • The Celtics sit atop ESPN’s predictions for the 2024/25 Eastern Conference standings, followed by the Knicks, Sixers, Cavaliers, and Bucks, in that order. The Magic round out ESPN’s projected group of top-six playoff teams, followed by the Pacers, Heat, Hawks, and Bulls in the play-in group. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s panel sees a big disparity between the the top two and bottom two play-in teams, projecting 46 wins for Indiana and 45 for Miami, compared to 31 for Atlanta and 30 for Chicago.
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Hall Of Famer Al Attles Dies At Age 87

August 21st, 2024 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Warriors player and coach Al Attles passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87, the team has announced in a press release.

Drafted by the then-Philadelphia Warriors out of North Carolina A&T in 1960, Attles spent his 11-year career as an NBA player with the Warriors, who relocated to San Francisco in 1962.

The 6’0″ point guard appeared in a total of 711 games, averaging 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 25.1 minutes per contest.

Attles, who was named an assistant coach in 1968, spent the final two years of his playing career as the Warriors’ head coach, a position he maintained well after his retirement as a player. He posted a 557-518 (.518) regular season record in that role, which he held until 1983, along with a 31-30 (.508) mark in the postseason.

Attles led the Warriors to an NBA championship in 1975, which was Golden State’s most recent title until the team began its dynastic run last decade by winning a championship in 2015. Attles still has the most regular season wins by a coach in franchise history, though Steve Kerr (519 career wins) could pass his total of 557 as soon as next season.

Following his stint as the Warriors’ head coach, Attles served as the team’s general manager for three seasons. He was an ambassador for the organization for many years after that, briefly returning in an official capacity as an assistant coach during the 1994/95 season.

Attles was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, having been selected by the Hall’s Contributor Committee.

“Alvin Attles did not just epitomize what it meant to be a Warrior—he was Mr. Warrior,” the team said in a statement on Wednesday. “His tenacious playing style earned him the affectionate nickname of ‘The Destroyer’ on the court, but it was his gentle soul, grace and humility off the court that served as a guiding light for the organization for more than six decades.

“As a player, coach, general manager, ambassador, and most of all, as a person, Alvin set the standards of professionalism and class by which we all strive to achieve. He leaves behind a profound legacy within the game of basketball and the Bay Area community, but especially as a family man and humanitarian. We mourn his loss alongside his wife, Wilhelmina, son Alvin, and all who knew and loved him.”

We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Attles’ family and friends.

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Wizards Waive Eugene Omoruyi

August 21st, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

12:00pm: The Wizards have officially waived Omoruyi, the team announced today (via Twitter).

10:48am: The Wizards are expected to place forward Eugene Omoruyi on waivers on Wednesday, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Omoruyi is currently on an expiring $2,196,970 contract. However, his salary is fully non-guaranteed, so Washington wouldn’t be on the hook for any of that money once he’s been officially released.

Omoruyi signed a two-way contract with the Wizards last July after being waived by the Pistons. The former Oregon standout, who previously spent time with Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Detroit from 2021-23, appeared in a career-high 43 games last season for Washington, averaging 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 9.1 minutes per night.

The Wizards converted Omoruyi’s two-way deal to a standard two-year contract in March.

If he’s claimed off waivers, Omoruyi’s new team would be responsible for his $2.2MM salary for 2024/25, which becomes partially guaranteed for $1MM if he remains under contract through the start of the regular season. Should the 27-year-old go unclaimed, he’d become an unrestricted free agent and would be able to sign with any club.

Waiving Omoruyi is the first step for the Wizards to address their roster crunch ahead of the regular season. Entering the day, the team was carrying 17 players on standard contracts, including 15 players with guaranteed salaries.

Besides Omoruyi, Jared Butler is the other player without a fully guaranteed deal, so Washington could set its 15-man regular season roster by cutting Butler — or by waiving or trading a player on a guaranteed contract.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Cleveland Cavaliers

August 21st, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Free agent signings

  • None

Trades

  • None

Draft picks

  • 1-20: Jaylon Tyson
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $16,118,700).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Contract extensions

  • Signed Evan Mobley to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $224,238,150 (starting at 25% of the cap). Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 (27.5% of the cap) or $269,085,780 (30% of the cap) if Mobley meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Signed Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, maximum-salary veteran extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $150,316,884. Includes third-year player option.
  • Signed Jarrett Allen to a three-year, $90,720,000 veteran extension that begins in 2026/27.

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $159.8MM in salary for 12 players.
    • Note: This figure would increase to $173.7MM if Okoro’s qualifying offer and a 14th man on a veteran’s minimum contract were added.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full mid-level exception ($12.8MM) available.

The offseason so far

Entering the summer, there was speculation that the Cavaliers could be one of the most active teams on the trade market this summer, potentially breaking up their star duos in both the backcourt (Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland) and frontcourt (Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen).

Instead, the Cavs doubled down on their top four players, signing three of them to long-term extensions this offseason. Mitchell is now locked up for at least the next three seasons, with Garland under team control for the next four, Allen for the next five, and Mobley for the next six.

That doesn’t mean Cleveland can’t pivot down the road if the team ultimately decides that the skill sets of Mitchell and Garland or Mobley and Allen overlap too much — all four players should continue to have positive trade value on their current contracts. But for now, the front office is betting this roster still has another level to reach with continued growth from that quartet and the influence of a new head coach.

Despite getting the Cavs their first playoff series win since LeBron James was on the roster, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was dismissed following the club’s second-round loss to Boston. Reporting in the wake of his ouster suggested that he and multiple Cavs players – including Mitchell – weren’t necessarily on the same page, so perhaps moving on from Bickerstaff was a necessary step to secure the All-Star guard’s commitment beyond the 2024/25 season.

Mitchell’s influence could be felt in the Cavs’ subsequent coaching search — the All-Star guard reportedly endorsed eventual hire Kenny Atkinson for the job. The team also brought in former Jazz assistant Johnnie Bryant, who was close with Mitchell in Utah, to be Atkinson’s associate head coach.

Outside of the coaching change and extensions for Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen, it has been an awfully quiet summer so far for the Cavaliers, who are the only team in the NBA not to have signed any free agents to standard contracts or acquired any players via trade. The lone newcomer to date is first-round pick Jaylon Tyson, a 6’6″ wing coming off a breakout year for Cal who will be looking to crack Cleveland’s rotation in his rookie season.

Up next

With just 12 players on standard contracts, including 10 on fully guaranteed deals, there’s still work to be done in Cleveland. Even if Sam Merrill and Craig Porter – whose salaries aren’t yet guaranteed – make the regular season roster as expected, the Cavs will need to add two players to that group before opening night.

One of those two could be Isaac Okoro, the league’s last remaining restricted free agent. The two sides appear to have stalled in negotiations, with the Cavs said to prefer a multiyear deal in the neighborhood of $8-10MM per year, while the former lottery pick is presumably seeking something in at least the mid-level range ($12-14MM annually).

Cleveland has reportedly discussed possible sign-and-trade scenarios involving Okoro, including one concept involving Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith. But all indications are that none of those talks have gained serious momentum, so a return to the Cavs still looks like the most likely outcome for Okoro, whether he accepts his one-year, $11.8MM qualifying offer or reaches an agreement on a longer-term contract.

If Okoro re-signs – or if the club acquires just a single player in a sign-and-trade deal for him – the expectation is that the Cavs will finalize their roster by signing a “cost-effective, playable, end-of-bench veteran” to be their 14th man, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who suggested that player would ideally be a locker-room leader like Tristan Thompson was last season. Marcus Morris, who finished the 2023/24 campaign in Cleveland, is one possibility.

Unless the Cavaliers let Okoro walk, bring him back on a very team-friendly deal, or trade him for a player with a modest cap hit, their team salary will almost certainly surpass the luxury tax line – or be right up against that line – once they have 14 players under contract, so the belief is that they’ll keep their 15th roster spot open at the start of the regular season to maintain roster flexibility and save some money.

The Cavs will have one more two-way slot to fill once they officially complete their reported agreement with JT Thor. Isaiah Mobley and Pete Nance, each of whom finished last season on two-way deals in Cleveland, are options. The club could also look outside of the organization for that last spot, as it did with Thor. Draft-and-stash prospect Luke Travers is also in the mix for that spot, though his next steps after leaving Melbourne United remain up in the air.

Cleveland entered the season with four veterans slated to be extension-eligible this offseason. With three of those four already signed to new contracts, forward Dean Wade – who will become eligible next month – is the last possible extension candidate to watch. I think the Cavs like Wade and would extend him if the price is right, but he’s coming off a couple injury-plagued seasons, so unless they’re getting him at a discount, the front office may prefer to wait on a new deal.

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