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.
