Why the Cavs Can Go Star-Hunting Despite the Dreaded Apron

The NBA team with the highest payroll entering the season has also been the most aggressive ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. 

For all the talk of the dreaded second apron and the limitations the league’s CBA puts on high-spending teams, the Cavaliers managed to put themselves in position to remake their roster for a playoff run by making a single trade.

Cleveland’s payroll on opening night was roughly $229 million, making the roster the most expensive in the league by $23 million and the only team in the second apron this season. Combined with a luxury tax bill of $163.8 million, the team’s payroll was about $392 million, $118 million more than any other team. 

Now they could be out of the second apron entirely by the end of the week. 

On Saturday, the Cavaliers traded De’Andre Hunter to the Kings for Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis as part of a three-team deal that also sent Dario Šarić to the Bulls with two future second-round picks. 

The deal reduced the Cavs’ tax bill by $44 million. Now, the Cavaliers are just $13 million from getting under the second apron, which the team can do by trading Lonzo Ball and a player on the veteran minimum before Thursday afternoon.

And despite that, the Cavaliers don’t appear to be done upgrading their roster. Reports surfaced Monday night that the team is in deep talks with the Clippers to trade 26-year-old point guard Darius Garland to Los Angeles for 36-year-old James Harden. 

Instead of taking their current core into next season, where second apron penalties would prohibit the Cavs from aggregating salaries in trades and be restricted in roster building, the Cavaliers are walking the tightrope of past and present. The front office is maintaining cap flexibility in the future while trying to upgrade the roster now, with Donovan Mitchell eligible to become a free agent in 2027. 

The Beard to The Land? 

The Cavs won their first 15 games last year en route to a 64–18 season that fizzled with a second-round loss to the Pacers as Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley, and Hunter all battling postseason injuries. The injury bug carried over into this season, as the team hovered around .500 for the first half before winning eight of its past ten games. As of Tuesday, the Cavs are 30–21 and fifth in the Eastern Conference despite stretches without Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Garland, the latter of whom hasn’t played since Jan. 14 due to a lingering toe injury. 

Mitchell is in his prime and is averaging a career-best 28.8 points. The team’s biggest star since LeBron James left in 2018 could enter free agency in July 2027 by declining a $53.8 million player option.

Harden is still elite for his age, averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He’s fifth in the NBA in free throw percentage, shooting a career-best 90.1% from the charity stripe. Harden is owed $42.3 million next season after taking a discount this past summer to stay in Los Angeles. The deal is still on hold as the teams haggle over draft capital, The Athletic reported. 

But could the Cavaliers have different co-star in mind to pair with Mitchell? 

Giannis to the Cavaliers?

The entire NBA awaits to see if the Bucks will deal Giannis Antetokounmpo before Thursday’s deadline. The Cavaliers haven’t been mentioned as a team heavily negotiating with the Bucks, but they’ve cleared the deck to add a Giannis-sized salary and have the assets to make a compelling offer.

Mobley fits the bill of a young and promising player the Bucks can rebuild around, while Garland and Allen are players who could help keep the team afloat since the Bucks lack long-term control of their draft picks.