| Player | 2026–27Current | 2027–28 | 2028–29 | 2029–30 | 2030–31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tap a player for his contract, guarantees, Bird rights and free agency.
Committed salary only; future years rise as the roster fills.
* Projected thresholds; the NBA sets each season's lines the summer before.
14 of 15 standard spots filled. · Cap holds : . These are old holds for past Cavs free agents that were never formally renounced. They only count if the Cavs try to get under the cap, never toward the tax, aprons or hard cap.
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 | ✓up to 200% / 125% + $250K | ✕100% max | ✕100% max |
| Combine several players’ salaries in one trade | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Send cash in a trade | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Acquire a player in a sign-and-trade | ✓ | ✓hard caps at 1st apron | ✕ | ✕ |
| Use a trade exception created during this season | ✓ | ✓ | ✕not until the season ends | ✕not until the season ends |
| Sign a bought out player who earned more than the non-taxpayer MLE | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Trade the first round pick seven years out | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕frozen 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 until it trades or renounces them.
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Basketball side. Tap anyone for their background. Season shown is when each person started their current role.
Press conferences, practice availability and the latest from the official Cavs channel. Cavs YouTube channel ↗
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 | From |
|---|
| Coach | Years | Record | Playoffs | 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 |
|---|
Full 2026–27 schedule: 14 Tip-Off Tournament games (Nov 10 to Dec 15), then 34 regular-season games through Mar 27. Times are Eastern.
Players on the current Cavs roster who came through the Charge. Paths from the Cavs’ transactions.
None this season.
Started 2–13 under first-year coach George Karl, then rallied to the No. 8 seed.
Every player on the 2026–27 roster, by how he arrived, and the trades behind the trades.
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