Okaro White‘s 10-day contract with the Cavaliers expired earlier this week, meaning the team is once again down to 13 players (not counting two-way players).
NBA rules call for teams to carry at least 14 players on their rosters, but those rules allow clubs to dip below the minimum for two weeks at a time. The Cavs have used this rule to their advantage since the trade deadline, carrying 13 players for two weeks at time in between 10-day contracts for White and Marcus Thornton. That approach has allowed the franchise to avoid tacking on much extra money to its projected luxury-tax bill.
The Cavs won’t be obligated to sign a 14th player until the final day of the regular season, but a team source tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that a 14th man will likely join the roster before then.
As Vardon notes, the Cavs have a history in recent years of adding veterans to their roster just before the postseason gets underway — Dahntay Jones received that sort of deal in both 2016 and 2017, appearing in 25 playoff games for the Cavs in those two years, despite playing just two regular season games. The club is currently working through what to do with its two open roster spots for this year’s postseason, per Vardon.
Sources tell Vardon that Kendrick Perkins, who appeared to be on the verge of an agreement with Cleveland in February, remains on the Cavs’ radar and is a candidate to fill one of the open roster spots. Signing a young player like White or John Holland – who is on a two-way contract with the Cavs – is also a possibility, according to Vardon.
As we wait to see which direction the Cavs go, be sure to revisit our discussion from earlier this month on which players the club should target for those two open roster spots.