| Player | 2026–27Current | 2027–28 | 2028–29 | 2029–30 | 2030–31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tap a player for his contract, guarantees, Bird rights and free agency.
Two limits apply, and the tighter one wins: a player needs 3 or fewer years of NBA service to sign a two-way, and he can spend no more than 3 seasons on two-ways with the same team. Tap a player for his details.
| Under the cap | Over the capincl. tax | Over 1st apron | Over 2nd apron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign free agents with cap space | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Room mid-level exception | ✓after using space | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Non-taxpayer mid-level exception | — | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✕ | ✕ |
| Taxpayer mid-level exception | — | — | ✓hard caps at 2nd apron | ✕ |
| Bi-annual exception | — | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✕ | ✕ |
| Take back more salary than they send in a trade | ✓into cap space | ✓200% + $250K max · hard caps at 1st apron | ✕100% max | ✕100% max |
| Combine several players’ salaries in one trade | ✓ | ✓hard caps at 2nd apron | ✓hard caps at 2nd apron | ✕ |
| Send cash in a trade | ✓hard caps at 2nd apron | ✓hard caps at 2nd apron | ✓hard caps at 2nd apron | ✕ |
| Acquire a player in a sign-and-trade | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✕ | ✕ |
| Use a trade exception after the regular season it came fromoffseason ones: after the next regular season | —counts against cap space | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✕ | ✕ |
| Sign a player waived during the season whose salary was above the non-taxpayer MLE | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✕ | ✕ |
| Trade the first round pick seven years out | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓freezes if over at season’s end |
A team's position after the move is what counts. Making a move marked "hard caps" means the team can't go over that line for the rest of the league year. The Cavs are hard-capped at the first apron this season. Rules: NBA CBA, as summarized by the CBA Guide.
Figures are 2026–27. Simplified from the CBA Guide, the NBA's CBA 101, Larry Coon's CBA FAQ, the Hoops Rumors glossary and Salary Swish. The CBA has exceptions to nearly every rule; those sources have the fine print.
Why keep rights to a retired player? Mostly for trades. Every trade has to send something out, and unsigned draft rights count as an asset worth $0 in salary. If the Cavs want a player without giving up anyone under contract, they can send a drafted player’s rights and take the incoming salary into a trade exception, as Cleveland did with Vladimir Veremeenko’s rights in 2018. Holding the rights costs nothing, and only the Cavs can sign the player if he ever comes to the NBA. A team keeps them while the player plays elsewhere. If he tells the team he is ready to sign, it keeps them for one more year. It can also trade or renounce them at any time.
An independent fan reference for the Cleveland Cavaliers: schedule, roster, cap, assets, transactions, live stats, history and the Charge.
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An independent fan reference for the Cleveland Cavaliers: schedule, roster, cap, assets, transactions, live stats, history and the Charge.
Started on RealCavsFans ↗. Not affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers or the NBA.
Free, the morning after every game.
The final and who led the way, the best Cavs reads, injuries and moves, who's next and where to watch, plus a trivia question.
Read the latest issue ↗Questions, corrections or ideas? Every message is read.
Saved you a few tabs or settled an argument? A tip covers hosting and the late nights after West Coast games.
☕ Buy cavs_db a coffeeNo account and no ads. Emails go through Buttondown and alerts through OneSignal, only if you sign up. Dark mode and other settings stay in your own browser.
Local TV: DAZN, plus 15 free over-the-air games on WOIO 19 and WUAB 43 (also on Rock Entertainment Sports Network). Games on ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock or Prime Video are national broadcasts and may not air locally.
Basketball side. Tap anyone for their background. Season shown is when each person started their current role.
Press conferences, practice availability and highlights from the Cavs, plus RealCavsFans videos, articles and recaps.
All video from the Cleveland Cavaliers' official YouTube channel.
From RealCavsFans.com.
| No. | Player | Ht / Wt | Age · Born | Exp | College / last team | Draft | How acquired |
|---|
| Player | Ht (no shoes) | Ht (shoes) | Wingspan | Wing +/− | Standing reach | Wt | Body fat | Hand L × W | Source |
|---|
“It’s basketball time at the Cleveland Arena.”Joe Tait opened every Cavs broadcast that way. Voice of the Cavs, 1970–81 and 1983–2011.
Won the series Lost
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | Class | From |
|---|
| Coach | Years | Record | Win % | Playoffs | Playoff % | Notes |
|---|
From June 2017, when Altman took over basketball operations, to today. Newest first.How this roster was built →
Source: RealGM Cavaliers transaction history. Key moves are trades, draft picks, extensions, multi-year signings and option decisions. All moves adds camp deals, two-way contracts, waivers and free agency. G League assignments are left out.
The Cavaliers' G League affiliate. Home games at Cleveland Public Auditorium, downtown Cleveland.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | Arena | Result |
|---|
14 Tip-Off Tournament games (Nov 10–Dec 15), then 34 regular-season games through Mar 27. Times Eastern.
Players on the current Cavs roster who came through the Charge. Paths from the Cavs’ transactions.
Every player on the 2026–27 roster, by how he arrived, and the trades behind the trades.
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Cavs & CoffeeFree unfiltered Cavs news the morning after every game (before your second cup).Free unfiltered Cavs news the morning after every game.