The Cleveland Cavaliers had the most expensive roster in NBA history last season. They’re looking to trim some of those costs this summer.
“The most recent thing that I’ve heard from the Cavs is that they’re looking to shave off some salary,” said Brian Windhorst on ESPN Cleveland. “If anything, they’re just trying to make sure they have some maneuverability with that second apron.”
The second apron is nothing to play with. Sweeping restrictions such as the inability to aggregate contracts in a deal or complete sign-and-trades altogether make it difficult to re-tool a roster when operating above the second apron.
Cleveland has already taken multiple steps towards getting under. Trading De’Andre Hunter and then Darius Garland while reportedly working with James Harden to restructure his deal could help them achieve this. But more needs to be done.
“I think, primarily, they may be investigating if they can move Dennis Schroder,” said Windhorst. “And they are prioritizing re-signing Dean Wade over re-signing Keon Ellis; maybe they can do Ellis too. I guess it depends on what else they can do salary-wise.
Dumping Schroder, who is set to make roughly $15 million a year for the next two seasons, would be an easy way for the Cavs to cut costs. Schroder has been traded to eight different teams throughout his career, so this would be nothing new.
The Cavs have a more difficult decision with regard to Dean Wade and Keon Ellis. Ideally, you don’t want to let talent walk for nothing. But this isn’t a team that has additional money to spend. Wade is reportedly garnering attention across the league as an MLE candidate. That means the Cavs will have to pay to keep Wade, which strains their chances of bringing back both him and Ellis.
Choosing Wade over Ellis, in my opinion, makes sense. Wade is the only true ‘wing’ on this roster, and you can’t afford to lose a 6’9” versatile defender when you have nothing to replace him. Ellis, meanwhile, has much to prove as he struggled to crack the playoff rotation last year. He needs to bulk up and prove he can defend on a string before taking that next step.
Cleveland knows what it’s getting with Wade, for better or worse. Sticking with what’s familiar seems to be a trend with this organization.
“I know there’s this desire among some in the fan base to radically change their roster,” said Windhorst. “But that’s not the information I have; they’re looking for a radical change.”
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