The Cavaliers have one roster spot sitting open, and the money situation has made the answer pretty simple: Cleveland needs a low-cost frontcourt piece.
After the offseason moves, the wing and backcourt questions are mostly settled. Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja beefed up the wing rotation, while drafting Meleek Thomas added another young guard to an already crowded backcourt.
That leaves the Cavs looking for help up front, but the cap sheet has squeezed the team into a narrow lane. The Watson sign-and-trade triggered a first apron hard cap, and James Harden’s new three-year, $97 million deal ate up most of what was left.
That reality makes the Cavaliers’ big-man depth look thin. Even with Thomas Bryant back in the fold, there isn’t much behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin could make a jump this season, but at 6-foot-8 he profiles more as a power forward than a true center. Last season already showed what can happen when Mobley or Allen miss time, with Cleveland forced to move players into spots that don’t really fit.
Bryant helped in stretches, but he wasn’t a full-time stand-in.
So if the Cavs are going to patch the final hole, a minimum deal is the only realistic path. That usually means a player with little experience or no track record at all.
But Cleveland may not need to go searching for a brand-new project. The answer could already be in house.
Olivier Sarr got a look with the organization last season on a two-way deal, splitting time between the Cleveland Charge and the Cavs. In four NBA appearances, he put up 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.
Those minutes weren’t huge, but they hinted at a legitimate NBA center. The problem has been consistency.
Sarr, who stands 6-foot-10 and weighs 240 pounds, has the size for the job, yet his production has been uneven enough to leave him on the fringe after stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors.
There’s still something to work with. He has shown flashes of athleticism and defensive ability, and in the G League he put together the kind of numbers that make teams pay attention.
In 32 games last season between Cleveland and Toronto, Sarr averaged 13.4 points, hit 44.3 percent of his three-pointers, and added 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. With a steadier role, he could grow into a rotation big who helps space the floor and gives an offense another layer.
That kind of upside matters for a team with Cleveland’s financial constraints. The Cavaliers have also shown they can turn overlooked talent into useful pieces, with Dean Wade, Sam Merrill and Tomlin all making real progress through the Charge before landing standard deals. Sarr is a different type of prospect than those players, but as an end-of-bench frontcourt option, he could be exactly the sort of fit this roster needs.
The Cavs turned a frustrating offseason into a productive one. Watson and Hezonja addressed a long-running wing issue, and Harden’s cheaper deal gave Cleveland room to maneuver under the aprons. Bringing back Sarr would give the team a practical final move - the kind of under-the-radar addition that can quietly finish off a complicated roster build.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Still Have One Important Backcourt Job Up For Grabs
The Cavaliers have spent much of the Donovan Mitchell era searching for a reliable backup point guard, and the list of names who have cycled through that spot shows how unsettled it has been. Ty Jerome, Ricky Rubio, Raul Neto, Craig Porter Jr., Lonzo Ball and Dennis Schroder have all taken a turn trying to stabilize the second unit, but Cleveland still heads into the season with that reserve backcourt role very much open.
Now the attention shifts to a younger crop, with the Cavaliers using draft capital on Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas and setting up a training camp battle that should be worth watching. Proctor, Thomas and Porter are expected to compete for minutes behind Mitchell, and coach Kenny Atkinson will be looking for a guard who can bring both consistency and versatility to a bench that has not yet found a settled answer. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have A Late Offseason Question Worth Watching
The NBAs offseason shake-up has already changed the leagues balance, and Cleveland is still watching the board with plenty of other teams. Even with the biggest dominoes falling elsewhere, there are roster spots around the league that remain open, and front offices are expected to keep tinkering before the 2026-27 season tips off on Oct. 20. For the Cavaliers, that kind of late-summer movement can matter, especially when the margins in the East are so thin.
What makes this stretch worth following is how many situations are still unresolved. Some players are widely expected to stay put, while others are lingering on unsigned deals or non-guaranteed contracts, leaving clubs room to change course if the right option appears. Cleveland does not need a splash to keep its eyes on this market, but one more quiet addition or a surprise decision elsewhere could still shape the final look of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Have Just Opened The Door For A Former First-Rounder
The Warriors kept busy in free agency by adding veterans Georges Niang and Brandon Williams, but there is still one two-way contract spot sitting open. That vacancy has kept the door cracked for a name that should still matter to Cleveland fans: Cam Whitmore, the former first-round pick who was recently waived by the Cavaliers.
Whitmore has already logged three NBA seasons with the Rockets and Wizards, and his next landing spot remains a live question. For the Cavs, the more immediate storyline is what his brief stop in Cleveland means in the bigger picture, especially if Golden State decides to make him the next player to fill out its developmental lane. [Read more 🡒]