Under Maintenance
We deeply apologize for interrupting your reading but Vendetta is currently undergoing some important maintenance! You may experience some layout shifts, slow loading times and dififculties in navigating.
Cavaliers could face backcourt dilemma this summer amid recent injury news
Cavaliers could face backcourt dilemma this summer amid recent injury news
The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming their second consecutive disappointing postseason exit, lsoing in five games to the Indiana Pacers, one year after getting bounced in five games to the Boston Celtics.
As a result of keeping their core of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley together, the Cavaliers have become expensive. Very expensive. So expensive, in fact, that they are $12 million into the second apron heading into the next season and could be at risk of losing one of the best sixth man in the NBA in Ty Jerome.
However, the team announced earlier this week that Garland underwent toe surgery and could miss the start of the season, putting the team in a pickle about how it should approach this upcoming offseason.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shut down any speculation regarding potentially trading Darius Garland, which was reportedly an idea they were kicking around prior to the news.
“Obviously Darius Garland is not getting traded,” Windhorst said Tuesday on ESPN Cleveland. “Here’s the nuance, the Cavs are going to pick up the phone because once July 1 hits and they go into the second apron, they are completely shut down from making a lot of moves. There’s a nuance between we are taking phone calls and are looking to make trades.
“If anything, the fact that Garland’s injury was so severe that he needs this significant, severe surgery, that is just an indication of how limited he was in that series. If anything, you’re the Cavs and you’re saying, ‘It stinks that we had to go through this playoffs with one of our All-Stars wounded, so let’s maybe try to see what happens when our All-Stars are not wounded.’”
Both of Mobley and Mitchell’s extensions kick in next season, with those four allocating for 98.4 percent of the cap in 2025-26. They don’t have much flexibility.
In Jerome’s case, since he’s an Early Bird free agent, Cleveland can re-sign him up to a four-year deal with the Cavaliers for roughly $60 million, with a starting salary north of $13 million. That doesn’t mean that Cleveland will automatically offer that max amount amid Garland’s injury news. But they have a fine line they must trickle down if they want to keep their soon-to-be 28-year-old guard without completely bloating their tax bill, which is projected to be $98 million, according to Spotrac.
There are other moves that the Cavaliers could make to cut costs. They could look to offload Isaac Okoro, who’s on the books for roughly $23 million over the next two seasons, or Dean Wade‘s partially guaranteed $6.6 million salary.
While none of those contracts are very expensive, but every dollar matters in today’s NBA, and it could a long way if they don’t want to part with any of their “Core 4” while re-signing Jerome, who averaged 12.5 points on 51.6/43.8/87.2 shooting splits last season.
***
Click Here for more NBA Content
Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Check out Vendetta Fantasy Contests
