The Cleveland Cavaliers’ latest roster squeeze may have a strange answer tucked into the fine print of the Peyton Watson trade: Ismael Kamagate.
With new contracts for Peyton Watson and James Harden, Cleveland is now hardcapped at the first apron. In plain terms, the team cannot push its total salary above $208 million, and it is already very close to that number with one roster spot still to fill.
That leaves the Cavaliers looking for the cheapest possible way to add a player, and Kamagate fits that bill better than a standard free-agent signing.
Kamagate is a French center who has not yet earned an NBA call-up, but he was considered an intriguing prospect when he entered the 2022 NBA Draft. He has NBA size and athleticism, along with the kind of quick leaping ability that plays at both ends as a finisher and a shot-blocker. Since then, he has stayed in Europe, working to add strength and prepare for an eventual NBA arrival.
Now 25, Kamagate spent last season in the Basketbol Super League in Turkiye. His draft rights have been moved around from the Detroit Pistons to the Portland Trail Blazers to the Denver Nuggets and most recently the LA Clippers. Those rights were included in the deal that sent Max Strus to the Clippers and brought Peyton Watson to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers’ interest in Kamagate isn’t really about what he might become right away. It’s about what he costs.
Cleveland is in such a tight financial spot that even a minimum free-agent signing would be too expensive. A second-round pick contract, though, is the cheapest path to a full-season deal. That is where Kamagate becomes useful.
The difference in money is significant. The Cavaliers signed veteran center Thomas Bryant to a one-year minimum contract of $3.52 million for this season, though the league will subsidize that down to $2.45 million. Meleek Thomas, by contrast, will make only $1.35 million.
Kamagate would land in a range very close to Thomas, creating more than a million dollars in cap savings and several million more in luxury tax relief compared to bringing in a veteran. Players such as Gabe Vincent, Nick Richards or Bruce Brown would offer more on the floor, but Cleveland may not have the room to go that route.
There is also a short-term path here. The Cavaliers can begin the season with 13 players, but they must add a 14th within two weeks.
One possibility is signing Kamagate then, keeping him for a few months, cutting him in January before his contract becomes guaranteed, and only then adding a veteran for the rest of the season. Cleveland could also try other workarounds, including stringing together 10-day contracts to save a little more money.
So is Kamagate the kind of player who helps the Cavaliers win games this season? Almost certainly not.
But could he still end up on the roster? Yes - because in Cleveland’s situation, the savings may matter more than the player.
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