Cavaliers trade machine
Cavaliers trades here are checked against the modeled 2023 CBA rules — salary matching, apron limits, hard caps, and pick rules — starting from the current 2026 offseason data, not a blank slate. That includes the part most trade machines miss: the Cavaliers are already hard-capped at $209.0M for the season (Peyton Watson sign-and-trade acquisition).
What the Cavaliers can still do
Figures come from the current 2026 offseason feed; exceptions already spent in the feed stay spent.
Biggest Cavaliers salaries, 2026-27
Common questions
Can the Cavaliers use the mid-level exception?
Yes — $0.0M of the non-taxpayer MLE fits under their ceiling (hard-capped by Peyton Watson sign-and-trade acquisition).
Can the Cavaliers aggregate salaries in a trade?
Yes — they're below the second apron, so they can combine outgoing contracts to match a bigger incoming salary.
Are the Cavaliers hard-capped?
Yes — at the first apron ($209.0M) for the rest of the season, triggered by Peyton Watson sign-and-trade acquisition. Later moves are checked against that line.
Can the Cavaliers trade a first-round pick?
Carefully — they already owe 4 future firsts, and the Stepien rule bars leaving consecutive future drafts uncovered. The board tracks the current obligations and names the pick that would break the rule.