Now that they have officially signed three-time champion Dwyane Wade, the Cleveland Cavaliers could be facing some difficult roster decisions. As most hoops fans know, teams in the NBA are allowed to have 15 men on their roster, as well as a pair of two-ways contracts for their respective G-League affiliate team.
As of today (September 29), the Cavs have a full training camp roster — 20 men aboard. Who makes the final cut and who doesn’t remains to be seen, but a few of these guys have to go. It’s simply inevitable.
Who might the Cavs choose to offload in trimming their rotation to 15 men, you ask? One possible scenario could include Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson, according to a report from Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. In his recent article, Ellis noted that he asked two members of the Pistons front office about their interest in either Frye or Jefferson.
“I ran it by two persons with firsthand knowledge of the Pistons front office,” Ellis writes in his article. “The response was lukewarm. With Stanley Johnson the only natural small forward on the roster, you could see the fit for the Pistons. But one person downplayed any interest in Jefferson, saying he just fits better with the Cavs.
“That person did say that a stretch-center like Frye could be useful since the Pistons really don’t have a player with that profile on the roster. But he would have to see what the Cavs would want for Frye.”
Earlier this week, Bobby Marks, one of ESPN’s finest analysts, reported that the Cavs would save $10 million in luxury taxes if they were to move Jefferson’s $2.5 million contract.
As most fans of the team know, both Jefferson and Frye are beloved members of the Cavaliers organization. Some know these two characters from their popular podcast, Road Trippin’ with R.J. and Channing. Their hilarious sense of humor means more to the team’s overall morale than you might realize. This is a pair of guys who aren’t afraid to tell you when something is out of place or out of line.
Whether or not the Cavs will indeed choose to let go of Jefferson or Frye remains to be seen. With the start of the 2017-18 season just weeks away, decisions with regards to the roster will need to be made sooner rather than later.