Examining Cavaliers' Salary Cap, Decisions for 2025 NBA Free Agency after Pacers Loss
The Cleveland Cavaliers made it back to the postseason for the fourth straight year. This time around, the Cavs proved to be more than just a scrappy young team that could be overlooked for the NBA's traditional powerhouses.
Led by Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and a very strong all-around roster, Cleveland featured one of the most complete rosters in the league throughout the season. Head coach Kenny Atkinson had the Cavs playing some of the best team basketball in the NBA too, which.
The combination of talent and chemistry allowed Cleveland to emerge as a legitimate title contender ready to rival the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
Now that Cleveland's postseason has ended with a second-round loss to the Indiana Pacers, it's time for Atkinson and general manager Mike Gansey to start preparations for the 2025-26 season.
Here, we'll examine the Cavaliers' salary cap outlook, top impending contract decisions and potential targets for 2025 free agency.
2025 Salary Cap
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The Cavaliers are in a fairly good position heading into the 2025 offseason. 11 players are set to be under contract, including Garland, Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Mitchell—who agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million extension last offseason.
Cleveland shouldn't be in any real danger of losing its core this offseason.
Adding to that core, however, could be difficult. The Cavs are projected to be $14.5 million over the first luxury-tax apron and $2.6 million over the second apron. For those unfamiliar with the terms of the latest collective bargaining agreement, teams over the second apron cannot aggregate contracts to trade for a single player, send out cash in trades, use trade exceptions from previous years, or take back salary than they give in a trade.
According to Spotrac, Cleveland faces a $53.7 million practical cap deficit. If the Cavaliers don't get below the second apron, they won't have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception. Expect Gansey to focus more on retaining players than reshaping the roster.
Top Contract Decisions
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The good news for Gansey is that keeping the roster intact won't take a ton of work. Cleveland has just three players—Tristan Thompson, Ty Jerome and Javonte Green—scheduled to be unrestricted free agents.
Emoni Bates is set to be a restricted free agent.
Jerome is likely to be Cleveland's biggest focus on the free-agent front. He has become an impactful contributor and, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, is a strong candidate for a new deal.
"There will be plenty of motivationon —on both sides—to get a deal done. As long as the Cavs can be competitive financially," Fedor wrote. "...Jerome sticking around seems to be a likely outcome."
Beyond re-signing Jerome—and perhaps another role player or two—the Cavs don't have many decisions to make. Right now, Dean Wade is the team's only player set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Free Agents to Pursue
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Because of their cap situation, the Cavaliers are unlikely to be ultra-active in free agency. Fortunately, their core is strong enough that they can largely afford to watch the market unfold from the sideline.
Gansey probably won't look to add much external talent, and a trade may be the preferred avenue if he does. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley named Cameron Johnson, Vasilije Micić and Duop Reath as three potential trade targets for the Cavs.
If Jerome departs, though, replacing his shooting from the bench will be a must.
Dennis Schröder will likely be out of Cleveland's price range, barring additional roster moves, but Malik Beasley could be a relatively realistic target—he played on a $6 million salary this season.
Cleveland could use additional frontcourt depth too, though they don't have the capital to chase a high-level player without moving one of their own. Think Mo Bamba instead of Myles Turner when it comes to potential free-agent targets.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers may do little (or nothing) in free agency and simply hope to uncover a depth player in the second round of the draft.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.
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