Cavs Stretch Ricky Rubio Contract For Added Cap Flexibility

The Cavaliers are getting close to the salary cap and tax penalties, but hey, where there’s a will there’s a way.

So the Cavs have taken the $1.27 million owed to retired point guard Ricky Rubio and stretched it out over three seasons. That does indeed give them a little more flexibility, with training camp now less than a month away.

“The $424,672 cap hit this season gives Cleveland more flexibility below the luxury tax,” wrote ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks. “Under the 2023 (collective-bargaining agreement), Cleveland was allowed to stretch his current cap hit prior to August 31.”

Now, for the casual fan, that probably doesn’t mean a whole lot. The only numbers many fans follow are points, rebounds, assists and maybe turnovers. Oh, and the final score.

But having more flexibility financially helps you get that final score in your favor more often than not. At least, that’s the idea.

And the Cavaliers do have their sights set on some minimum-level free-agent types. As I shared on the Mark Price podcast, they undoubtedly need some depth up front.

Cleveland bought out Rubio’s contract last season and waived him, following his announcement that he was retiring from the NBA. He continues to play professionally in Spain.

The Cavs are aiming to improve on last year’s 48-34 mark under first-year head coach Kenny Atkinson. They finished fourth in the Eastern Conference before advancing to the conference semifinals, where they lost to the eventual-champion Boston Celtics.

They open the season on Oct. 23 in Toronto, with the home opener against Detroit coming two nights later.

Cleveland stretched the $1.27M owed to Ricky Rubio this season over the next 3 seasons.

The $424,672 cap hit this season gives Cleveland more flexibility below the luxury tax.

Under the 2023 CBA, Cleveland was allowed to stretch his current cap hit prior to 8/31.

Rubio was…

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 3, 2024