The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the new year with almost every key player available, yet their ability to reshape the roster before the Feb. 5 trade deadline remains restricted by the NBA’s second tax apron.
Cleveland won 64 games last season and largely kept the same core, opting for internal development despite the financial penalty attached to a soaring payroll. Through Wednesday afternoon, that continuity has produced an 18-16 record—above .500 but well below preseason expectations.
Operating above the league’s second tax apron blocks the Cavaliers from combining player salaries in trades, a rule that narrows—but does not eliminate—their deadline choices. Analyst Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron noted this week that the front office can still chase players on smaller or mid-level contracts. He cited New Orleans’ Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado as examples of attainable targets.
“The next three weeks will be critical for the Cavaliers, who have no incentive to bottom out even if they wanted to,” Gozlan wrote, underscoring the team’s win-now posture.
The health report offers little cover for on-court struggles. Only Max Strus and Larry Nance Jr. remain sidelined, leaving most of the rotation intact. Following a lopsided defeat to Houston, head coach Kenny Atkinson publicly questioned his squad’s readiness, an uncommon critique that reflected growing internal frustration.
Around the league, executives and scouts are quietly asking whether Cleveland has fully moved past last spring’s early playoff exit against Indiana, or if that disappointment still lingers in the locker room.
General manager Koby Altman is not expected to dismantle the roster, but with scarce trade tools and a tightening margin for error, the next few weeks will likely decide whether Cleveland makes small adjustments or accepts that this iteration has already peaked.
Source: Hoops Wire
