After the NBA salary cap jumped to unprecedented heights in 2016, it became more challenging for teams to spend enough to surpass the tax line, but the Cavaliers did it with ease. By our count, they’ll have a tax bill of nearly $25MM for the 2016/17 season, and they’re projected to be in tax territory again in ’17/18. That will make it difficult to make major upgrades to the roster, though GM David Griffin has been creative in adding pieces in the past.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Cavaliers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- LeBron James ($33,285,709)
- Kevin Love ($22,642,350)
- Kyrie Irving ($18,868,626)
- Tristan Thompson ($16,400,000)
- J.R. Smith ($13,760,000)
- Iman Shumpert ($10,337,079)
- Channing Frye ($7,420,912)
- Richard Jefferson ($2,500,000)
- Kay Felder ($456,529) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Total: $125,671,205
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Edy Tavares ($1,471,382)
- Kay Felder ($856,082) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Total: $2,327,464
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Holds
- Kyle Korver ($9,954,930)
- Dahntay Jones ($1,471,382)
- James Jones ($1,471,382)
- Deron Williams ($1,471,382)
- Derrick Williams ($1,471,382)
- Total: $15,840,458
Trade Exceptions
- Mike Dunleavy TPE ($4,837,500) — Expires 1/17/18
- Mo Williams TPE ($2,194,500) — Expires 1/7/18
- Sasha Kaun TPE ($1,333,420) — Expires 7/15/17
- Chris Andersen TPE ($980,431) — Expires 2/13/18
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: –$27,933,665
- The Cavaliers’ eight guaranteed contracts, plus four cap charges for empty roster spots, bring the total team salary to $128,933,665. Considering the luxury tax line is currently projected to be around $121MM, the Cavs have virtually no way to get below the cap this summer unless they gut their roster.
Footnotes:
- Felder’s salary won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Who can you pawn JR Smith, Shumpert, and maybe Frye off on? Maybe the Nets, they are completely talent starved, and have the cap space. If they strike out on the RFAs ship them JR Smith + a future 1st for a bag of balls. Shumpert has value I think, given his age and his contract is palatable and only a 1 year deal since he’ll opt out. Could be an option for a team like the Sixers – a stop gap PG for them depending on how their draft goes.
Need to bring in Ibaka, Reddick, and keep Korver. Only way they’d be able to compete. If Ibaka and Reddick really want to win, they sign a 1 yr deal and go from there. Would a Rudy Gay take a pay cut given his injury on a 1 yr deal – don’t know if he’d even be ready to play.
What do they do with Thompson? He literally offers nothing when he’s on the floor vs the GSW. He can’t shoot, barely rebounding, and just sets picks for 16M.
If LBJ was taking 25 vs 33M it would help. But they are still so far over the cap. Would he leave in 2018? Chase a ring with a younger better team?
I doubt the Sixers would have any interest in 3 years of JR. Also who is this “stop gap PG” you mentioned? Shumpert and JR are both wings. There’s no way for them to get any of the 3 players you suggested. They can sign one player with the midlevel exception for around $8mm and all three of those guys could easily double that on the open market
Shumpert can handle PG duties in PHL next to Ben Simmons for a season. Aka stop-gap. I didn’t say JR to the Sixers, I said JR to the Nets if they struck out on every RFA again.
Why would Reddick go there if Korver is there? Get real dude. They have the same game.
22 for love and 16 Mio for Thompson are good joke ♂️
I have no problem with Kevin Love. He simply had a bad shooting game and only took 9 shots last game. But in the other 2 he went for 15 pts and 21 rebounds and 27 pts and 17 rebounds. Simply the idea of competing vs GSW (assuming they lose this year) is NOT replacing Love but finding a remarkable way of ADDING a 4th piece to this group.
I love Thompson’s game and he’s a valuable piece of this team (as is JR). That being said, he, as well as JR Smith, are both clients of Rich Paul (LBJ’s friend/biz partner/agent) and THEY (Paul and client) held out to get the most money for both players. No other team, IMO, would’ve given them those deals other than the Cavs. TT simply hasn’t shown up this series and collectively he has 8 pts and 11 rebounds in all 3 games. That is unacceptable. Problem is, I can’t see LBJ being cool with moving TT and to a lesser extent, JR to free up cash or bring in better players.
It would be interesting to speculate if the Knicks or Cavs would consider a Thompson for Carmelo deal? Tristan can handle the dirty work and allow Porzingis to play outside more.
Trading for Melo puts them in an even worse cap situation. The Knicks would have to want 2 players back. Thompson and JR/Shumpert/Frye.
That I know but I think that’s something that can be easily worked out if both parties are motivated to get the deal done, which obviously the Knicks are.
I could see a scenario in which Frye is trade, works out a buyout for Frye. That’s an “in theory” discussion tho. I’m not crazy about acquiring him because while he fills the need for more offense it doesn’t do so at the position we need the most (Center and Shooting guard).
I wonder what GM James is going to do to improve the team.
Love for Butler straight up
Irving for CP3 sign&trade straight up
Thompson & Shumpert for Brook Lopez
Mind blown, it works in the trade machine.
1 – CP3
2 – JR/Korver
3 – Butler
4 – LBJ
5 – Lopez
The bulls would never do that.
Not a Love fan? I’m sure you can find someone that would love to have him that you can flip him to for a bunch of picks going to the Bulls. Sixers come to mind.
Bulls get Kings 5 & 10 + Labissiere + maybe another pick
Kings get Love
Cavs get Butler & Galloway
That is completely absurd. The NBA isn’t a video game where you can swap guys out. Also, Love is a much better post player than Lopez. Lopez is 7 ft whatever but rebounds like a guard. Irving is a MUCH better player than CP3 and is a whole lot younger.
Kevin Love is not the problem with this team. Any non-ball handler would be hard pressed to put up better numbers than him as the 3rd option. He was 19 pts and 11 rebounds (leading the team and 8th in the NBA overall). Yes he had a horrible shooting game in game 3 but he was productive with 13 rebounds an 6 steals. In the other two games he had 15pts and 21 rebounds in the 1st and 27 pts and 7 rebounds in the 2nd.
Love isn’t the problem. JR Smith and Tristan Thompson are giving us noting aside from Smith in Gm 3.
The NBA is a video game. If you can get KG and Ray Allen in trades it’s a video game. If you get KD to to GSW it’s a video game. If you get LBJ Wade and Bosh on the same team it’s a video game. The league is a joke. You can make any trade happen.
Hahahahaha the Cavs are never trading Kyrie for CP3
Hahahaha the Cavs are never trading Kyrie for CP3