The Cleveland Cavaliers were the No. 1 seed in the East this season. They swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. It appeared they would make a run to the NBA Finals.
However, the Indiana Pacers served the Cavaliers a slice of humble pie, beating Cleveland in the second round in five quick games. The Pacers went 3-0 at Rocket Arena, with Tyrese Haliburton hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2.
Cavaliers GM Koby Altman needs to make some trades this summer. This roster isn’t good enough to win a championship.
With that said, Rob Perez of Bleacher Report proposed that the Cavaliers trade Darius Garland and a first-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole this summer.
When Evan Mobley won the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year Award, it triggered a clause in his contract that called for him to increase the first-year salary of his rookie-scale extension from 25 to 30% of the salary cap.
As a result, the Cavaliers are now projected to have $219 million in salary for the 2025-26 season and be over the second apron.
Garland will make $39,446,090 next season, while Poole will make $31,848,215.
Garland averaged 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists this season for the Cavaliers, while Poole averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Wizards.
Poole helped the Golden State Warriors win the 2022 championship against the Boston Celtics.
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