The Cavaliers’ search for a backup center keeps getting tighter by the day, and Sunday brought another name off the board.
DeAndre Jordan is headed back to the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-year, $7.9 million deal, with both seasons fully guaranteed, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. It’s not the kind of move that changes the league, but for Cleveland it fits a frustrating pattern: the pool of available big men is drying up while the Cavaliers keep their money parked for one specific free agent.
That waiting game has left a clear opening behind Jarrett Allen, and the options to fill it are disappearing fast. Mitchell Robinson left the champion New York Knicks for the Boston Celtics on a three-year, $47.4 million contract.
Mark Williams stayed in Phoenix for three years and $38 million. Al Horford returned to the Golden State Warriors on a two-year, $14 million deal.
Kevon Looney took a one-year minimum with the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Nance Jr., the most natural Cleveland fit on the board, chose Indiana on a one-year contract.
Now Jordan is gone too, and the list is almost empty.
The one real name still standing is Jonas Valanciunas. The Denver Nuggets waived him on July 8, taking on $2 million of his $10 million salary rather than letting the full amount become guaranteed.
Even in a reduced role behind Nikola Jokic last season, Valanciunas still produced 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 58.2 percent from the field. For a Cleveland second unit that needs a dependable interior presence, the appeal is obvious.
But the Cavaliers are not the only team watching him. The Lakers have also shown interest as they look for a backup center, and Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas is in the mix as well. Valanciunas had already explored a move to Panathinaikos last season before Denver shut that down, so this is not a player likely to sit around forever while Cleveland sorts out its plans.
And that is the real issue: the Cavaliers can’t fully sort out those plans until LeBron James decides.
James Harden turned down his $42.3 million player option for next season, and until his new number is settled, Cleveland does not know whether it can spend with the $3.9 million veteran minimum exception or the $6.1 million taxpayer midlevel. Before Harden’s next contract is counted, the Cavaliers are $25.3 million below the first apron and $38 million under the second.
If they use more than $6.1 million in exception money, they’d be hard-capped at the first apron. To create room beyond that, they’d need to trade Max Strus or Dennis Schroder.
That’s why the front office has stayed quiet. Every dollar committed now is flexibility lost if James says yes. Rich Paul told Forbes’ Mark Medina that a resolution was not imminent.
“I don’t think it’ll be the next few days,” Paul said.
Marc Stein said on the “A Must Win Game” podcast that most of the people he speaks with did not expect a decision during the opening days of Summer League, with the process likely stretching deeper into July.
There has been one small piece of encouraging noise for Cleveland. League executives told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon that the only team official believed to have had direct contact with James this free agency is Brandon Weems, his childhood friend in the Cavaliers’ front office. That’s something, but it’s not enough to move the roster forward on its own.
So the Cavaliers wait. They can keep Valanciunas warm without making a commitment.
They can hope the buyout and trade market opens up after James decides. Or they can settle for a minimum-salary answer later in July and leave the roster spot open as part of the pitch.
None of those paths is ideal. But Cleveland’s logic is plain enough. With Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell’s four-year max extension already giving the roster a strong core, James is the one player available who changes the ceiling.
The price of that chase is showing up everywhere else, and Sunday it showed up again with DeAndre Jordan.
In Other News...
Kenny Atkinson Just Gave Cavaliers Fans A Reason To Believe Again
A fresh wave of speculation has put Cleveland back in the middle of the conversation after LeBron James let the Lakers know he will not return for his 24th NBA season. The possibility of a reunion has naturally stirred up Cavaliers fans, and reports tying James Harden to a deal that could help clear the way have only added to the intrigue around what might be coming next.
Kenny Atkinson did little to cool the buzz, instead leaving the impression that something significant could be brewing for the roster. The exact move remains unclear, and James next stop is still unresolved, but the tone around Cleveland has shifted enough to make fans wonder whether this summer could still deliver a familiar face and a major jolt to the teams future. [Read more 🡒]
Why Kenny Atkinson Thinks Cavs Rookie Could Be More Than A Flier
Kenny Atkinson did not hide his enthusiasm when the Cavaliers landed Meleek Thomas in the second round of the NBA draft, and the early Summer League returns have only added to the intrigue. Through two games, Thomas has looked like more than a developmental add-on, putting up points while showing enough all-around activity to make Clevelands staff keep watching closely.
What stands out most for Atkinson is the rookies defensive upside, which could be the clearest path to real minutes on a roster that will demand reliability on both ends. His college coach has made a similar point about Thomas length and room to grow physically, and if that side of his game translates the way Cleveland believes it can, the rookie might end up being a lot more than a simple flier. [Read more 🡒]
This Cavs Reunion Trade Idea Feels Built For LeBron Rumors
A Bleacher Report trade idea has Cleveland back in the kind of reunion chatter that always seems to follow this franchise when big names start moving around the league. The proposal lands as a multi-team swap with Miami and Dallas in the mix, and it would ask the Cavaliers to part with a real chunk of frontcourt and backcourt depth in exchange for a splashy name that instantly changes the conversation around the roster.
The problem is the basketball case is hard to square with what Cleveland already has built, especially with the cost attached to the deal and the questions that come with the player at the center of it. Even with the LeBron-adjacent buzz hovering around the concept, the fit looks awkward on paper, and the Cavs would have to decide whether the nostalgia and star power are worth the hit to their current structure. [Read more 🡒]