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Sep 14, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

Cavaliers' Roster Plans Revealed by NBA Insider

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Evan Dammarell | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 5:11 PM ET

With nearly a month to go until the Cleveland Cavaliers kick off training camp, there are openings on their roster still available. Right now, the Cavaliers have thirteen players under contract and two two-way players on their roster. By typical NBA standards, Cleveland still has two open roster spots and one two-way position still available.

Technically, the Cavaliers don't need to rush to make a decision. However, the NBA requires all teams to have a minimum of 14 players on their active roster, and teams with 13 players have two weeks to fill that roster spot.

To avoid that headache, before the season begins, Cleveland has to find a player to round things out. But before Cavaliers fans think that Cleveland is positioning itself to sign a big-name free agent, the Cavaliers' financial situation is still keeping things in check.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Cavaliers' limited financial options are keeping them from adding any guaranteed money to fill a fourteenth roster spot. Moreover, Fischer shares that Cleveland will start the season with their fifteenth and final roster spot available due to similar financial strains.

"Cleveland also has two open roster spots themselves, but the Cavaliers are expected to leave their 15th spot open given their hefty luxury tax bill," Fischer wrote. "Sources say Cleveland is likely to attempt to sign a 14th player on a non-guaranteed contract because of those tax concerns."

Who could the Cavaliers sign to fill their fourteenth roster spot?

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Cavaliers have the NBA's most expensive payroll, totaling $228.9 million between the thirteen players under contract. Therefore, to avoid any penalties, they must be frugal.

Typically, the Cavaliers could sign a veteran like Tristan Thompson or Kevin Love to a veteran minimum deal and add their fourteenth player. However, since veteran minimum deals count toward Cleveland's available cap space, they might not want to outright sign a veteran before weighing all options.

With that in mind, based on what Fischer shared, there is technically a way for the Cavaliers to add a fourteenth player to their roster.

If a two-way player like Luke Travers or Nae'Qwon Tomlin impresses during training camp, Cleveland could sign either to a non-guaranteed deal. The same applies to any player on an Exhibit 10 deal trying out for the team. This thinking also applies to other NBA players in a similar vein who are not already signed to a two-way deal with an opposing team as well.

Regardless of who they pick, the Cavaliers could sign a player to a deal where, if waived, it wouldn't count against their salary cap. However, at the same time, the same player could f ill their roster opening and fulfill the NBA requirement of having 14 players on their roster before the start of the 2025-26 season.

Filling this spot isn't a pressing need, but something the Cavaliers have to take care of soon. Finding a fourteenth player before or during training camp would solve that, especially one on a non-guaranteed deal. It allows Cleveland to maintain financial flexibility and the freedom to make other moves closer to the annual NBA trade deadline.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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