The Cleveland Cavaliers made a concerted effort to surround their stars Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley with more shooting for the 2023-24 season. After all, the New York Knicks packed the paint during their 2023 playoff series, making it difficult for the Cavs to do much of anything on offense. Thus, in free agency, the Cavs picked up Max Strus, Georges Niang, and Ty Jerome (among others), to help address this roster need.
However, one month after the start of free agency, the Cavs still have two open roster spots to fill. Even then, they’re already above the first apron of the luxury tax (set at $172 million), as they currently have $175 million in salary obligations. Given how close they are to the second apron ($182 million) and the harsh restrictions crossing that threshold imposes, don’t expect the team to make any more groundbreaking moves.
And it seems like this is exactly the Cavs’ most likely recourse. Per Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, if the Cavs were to add anyone to their roster, it’d be a “lower-profile veteran”, preferably an inside player, who would come cheap. Thus, it seems unlikely for them to pursue Kelly Oubre or Christian Wood despite registering interest in those two.
The Cavs remain active, so it may only be a matter of time before the team plucks another depth signing from the bargain bin. With only Damian Jones under contract as a big man coming off the bench, Amico’s report certainly makes sense in that adding a third-string big man could be the priority for the Cavs front office.
At the moment, there remain a few players who could help the Cavs immensely next season, players who are able to step up and play a semi-larger role just in case injury problems rear its ugly head. Perhaps the Cavs could look into signing Bismack Biyombo, someone with an impressive block rate, Willy Hernangomez, a player who can put up double-doubles in spot starts, or Blake Griffin, a versatile playmaking big man with an inside-out game.
Whatever the case may be, expect there to be a few additions to the Cavs roster before training camp begins.