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Another year has passed and the Donovan Mitchell-led Cleveland Cavaliers core couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs yet again. The 2024-25 campaign was supposed to be different for these Cavs; they won 64 games in the regular season and were poised for a deep run in the playoffs considering how excellent they've been all season long. Instead, the Cavs couldn't get their act together against the Indiana Pacers, losing in five games, sending them reeling into another long and cold offseason.
For better or for worse, the Cavaliers are locked into their current core. With Mitchell and Evan Mobley's huge contract extensions kicking in, they are going to begin next season over the second tax apron, which would severely limit what they can do with regards to upgrading the roster. They cannot aggregate multiple players in a single trade and cannot absorb more than 100 percent of the salary they're sending out.
In free agency, the Cavaliers, should they stay a second tax apron team, will not have access to the taxpayer midlevel exception. That would cripple them, limiting them to offering the veteran minimum, which means that the pool of players they can sign won't be that huge.
Nonetheless, here are four targets the Cavs could set their sights towards in free agency.
Ty Jerome
If there's anyone whom the Cavaliers should prioritize in free agency, it's one of their own in Ty Jerome. Jerome's impact may have been muted during their second-round series loss to the Pacers, but he was an invaluable member of the team that won 64 games this past season and a major testament to the Cavs' development team.
Jerome could command significant interest in free agency, poor playoff series against the Pacers notwithstanding. He averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in just 19.9 minutes per game. He also shot 43.9 percent from deep, and it's his ability to create shots from the perimeter that would make him a valuable weapon wherever he goes.
The Cavs, however, can only sign Jerome to an early Bird rights contract. As an unrestricted free agent, Jerome could perhaps decide to sign with a team that offers more money than Cleveland can. But there is merit to Jerome staying with the Cavs. After all, this is where he found his big break, and his comfort level in head coach Kenny Atkinson's system should play a huge role in his decision.
At the end of the day, Jerome could perhaps sign a one-year deal, bet on himself, and secure Bird rights with the Cavs. He could then sign a more lucrative contract come the 2026 offseason, provided, of course, that his production remains relatively the same.
Guerschon Yabusele
Adding frontcourt depth may not be the biggest priority for the Cavs. They have Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen after all, and they can stagger the minutes of those two to make sure that at least one of their All-Star big men is on the floor at all times.
But in the 2025 NBA playoffs, there were plenty of stretches where the Cavs opted to sit Allen, going small instead to match the Pacers' pace and to allow them to cover more ground defensively. Perhaps adding another big who is versatile defensively and can even make open jumpshots could help the Cavs. Enter Guerschon Yabusele.
Yabusele had a good season in his first year back in the NBA after a multi-year long odyssey overseas. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds on 50.1 percent shooting from the floor and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc, and he would allow the Cavs to shapeshift against more teams.
Alas, the Cavs can only offer the veteran minimum to Yabusele, making it close to impossible for them to acquire the French international.
Ben Simmons
Speaking of versatile frontcourt options to allow the Cavs to shapeshift, Ben Simmons could be a worthwhile target thanks to his playmaking utility as a small-ball five. Simmons, even in his limited state, is someone who can cover plenty of ground defensively.
Simmons was linked to the Cavs after the Brooklyn Nets bought him out, and perhaps this offseason is when the former first overall pick takes his talents to Cleveland.
Jake LaRavia
Jake LaRavia has struggled to carve out a consistent role for himself through the first few years of his career. But at 6'8″, he has the size on the wings that could make him a valuable player for the Cavs. He has displayed a solid feel for the game in the past, and maybe he can be the latest developmental success in Cleveland.
