What the Cleveland Cavaliers can do this offseason
- ›Minimum deals only for outside free agents — no cap room, and no exception left big enough to use.
- ›Hard-capped at the first apron — triggered by the Peyton Watson sign-and-trade, so it can't cross that line the rest of the season.
- ›Below the first apron: full expanded salary-matching is available.
- ›Draft capital: 0 extra incoming picks, owes 10.
CapTax1A2A
Non-Tax MLE$0.8MBi-Annual$0.8MTaxpayer MLE$0.8MMinimum$0.8M
Projected record
49-33
Projected net rating
+3.8
Current baseline
49 wins · +3.8 net
Full standings · models the position-aware rotation, a real-age aging curve, perimeter defense, and a bounded penalty for a structural hole; a talent-on-hand projection, not a full-season forecast (no coaching or playoff translation).
Team profile · on-court identity + fit
Offense
B
62
Defense
B-
54
Spacing
B
60
Playmaking
D+
36
Rim protection
B+
66
Perimeter D
B-
56
Rebounding
C+
49
Defensive core +1.9Spacing +1.8Connectors +0.6Balanced +0.5Defense +0.4Thin playmaking -0.7
Grades are minutes-weighted from the projected rotation; the chips are the fit read — how much each strength or gap is worth in net rating, on top of raw talent. Dimensions come from each player’s real 2025-26 box profile. Injuries are real reported facts, factored into projected minutes.
Projected rotation · minutes by position, best players first
PGPoint
69James HardenST37y28m
78Donovan Mitchell30y2m
56Craig Porter Jr.26y18m
SGShooting
78Donovan MitchellST30y28m
69James Harden37y7m
52Sam Merrill30y9m
50Jaylon Tyson24y5m
SFSmall F
52Sam MerrillST30y17m
78Donovan Mitchell30y4m
51Mario Hezonja27y22m
50Jaylon Tyson24y5m
PFPower F
75Evan MobleyST25y17m
52Sam Merrill30y1m
51Khalifa Diop27y22m
51Thomas Bryant29y7m
50Jaylon Tyson24y2m
CCenter
63Jarrett AllenST28y27m
75Evan Mobley25y15m
51Thomas Bryant29y6m
Out of rotation · no projected minutes in the 240-a-night budget
47Peyton Watson46Tyrese Proctor45Nae'Qwan Tomlin40Meleek Thomas
Projected minutes from the position-aware rotation model: five on-court spots share a fixed 240-minute-a-night budget, best players first, with versatile players (their secondary spot shown on hover) sliding to a second position. ST = projected starter. Not a coach’s actual rotation.
Roster (14)
75PFEvan Mobley$50.1M
78SGDonovan Mitchell$50.1M
69PGJames HardenNO-TRADE$29.9M
63CJarrett Allen$28.0M
47SFPeyton WatsonNO-TRADE$20.5M
52SFSam Merrill$9.2M
50SFJaylon Tyson$3.7M
51CThomas BryantNO-TRADE$2.4M
51SFMario HezonjaNO-TRADE$2.4M
45PFNae'Qwan Tomlin$2.4M
56PGCraig Porter Jr.$2.4M
46SGTyrese Proctor$2.2M
40SGMeleek ThomasNO-TRADE$1.4M
51CKhalifa DiopNO-TRADE$1.4M
Draft capital
Own first-rounders
’27 → UTA’28 swap w/ UTA’29 → UTA’30 kept’31 kept’32 kept
Incoming picks & swap rights
’32 2nd · from SAC
Full ledger — 0 in, 10 out
out 2027 — first round draft pick to Memphis, Utah or Phoenix
out 2027 — second round draft pick to Chicago
out 2028 — first round draft pick to Utah, L.A. Lakers or Atlanta (least favorable of Utah, Atlanta and Cleveland incoming, swap)
out 2028 — second round draft pick to Utah
out 2029 — first round draft pick to Utah or Charlotte
out 2029 — second round draft pick to Atlanta
out 2030 — second round draft pick to San Antonio
out 2031 — first round draft pick to Denver
out 2031 — second round draft pick to Utah or Boston
out 2032 — second round draft pick to Utah