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Exploring a potential LeBron James-Cavaliers reunion this offseason
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- Exploring a potential LeBron James-Cavaliers reunion this offseason
The LeBron James - Cavaliers reunion didn't come to fruition at the trade deadline, but a few small moves this past week might have greased the wheels for another blockbuster move this summer involving the "kid from Akron."
The Cavs made three trades before the Feb. 5 deadline , including a monumental deal to bring in future Hall of Famer James Harden in exchange for Darius Garland , breaking up the core four. The Cavaliers also dealt De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder and traded Lonzo Ball plus two second-round picks to the Jazz .
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The Harden-Garland deal was about how the Cavs view their playoff chances, and the best lineup with which to move forward. The Hunter and Ball trades (in addition to bringing in Ellis and Schroder as rotational pieces) also accomplished a more financial-centric goal.
Are the Cavaliers in the NBA's second apron?
Entering the trade deadline, the Cavs were not only in the NBA's second apron , they had the No. 1 payroll in the league .
After the NBA's salary cap ($154.6 million), teams enter what is called the first apron at $195.9 million. When their payroll exceeds $207.8 million, they then enter the second apron.
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Although teams are able to go over the second apron, there are severe penalties that come with it, and few teams can handle remaining above that threshold for long.
Those penalties include a severe tax for each dollar above that line, restrictions on what types of trades the team can make (namely, that they can't combine salaries in a deal or take on more money than they receive), the loss of their mid-level exception and draft pick penalties if they remain there for three consecutive seasons.
If an owner and a franchise want to really go for it and pour salary into a roster, they can — but they're gonna pay for it in more ways than one, and each dollar a team goes above the second apron becomes more painful. Stints above the second apron are often short-lived.
That's why, when looking at the Hunter and Ball trades, even with taking back the salaries of Schroder and Ellis, the Cavaliers still saved more than $100 million combined between salary cap and luxury tax savings. And there's an argument to be made they're also in a better position with the roster in addition to the savings.
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"I think coming into the deadline, we were in the wilderness in terms of, how do you see getting out of that second apron?" said president of basketball operations Koby Altman. "And we got closer after the De'Andre Hunter trade and then obviously moving Lonzo ... gets you even closer. And so, you could see it now; it's in clear sight. And I think in the summer, if we want to pull that lever, we can."
The three trades the Cavs made before the deadline brought them to just about $4 million from dipping under the second apron. So why not just make one more deal to get under that line? Because although it would have added flexibility to make a second move, the Cavs didn't feel it was worth it to mess with the rotation that was now in place — at least in terms of this trade deadline.
"For us to get under the second apron, we would've had to lose a rotational piece right now, and that was hard for us to do," Altman said. "Let's make this run. Again, I go back to Dan [Gilbert], I say, 'Dan, this gives us flexibility. This does this, this and this. It saves us money.' Well, [his response is], 'What gives us the best chance to win?' And it's certainly not trading a rotational player at the deadline. So we'll address that in the summer. Sure, we got close, but I still think it was a really, really successful trade deadline for us."
Could LeBron James return to Cavaliers?
So how does James fit into all this? A trade to send James to Cleveland would have been possible after some additional moves and a little creativity, but it was a complicated proposition to make the numbers work before the deadline passed.
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This offseason, though it could be easier for both sides if it is something both want. James, at 41 years old, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. And although the Cavs would need to finally get below the second apron, they're now easily within striking distance of doing so with two trades toward the goal.
A James farewell tour in his final NBA season while returning to the place it all started for one more year would be a very James-like move. The Cavs didn't want to mess with their rotation at the deadline, but this summer they'll have a lot more flexibility to move pieces around.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: How the Cavs' trade deadline moves could make a LeBron reunion possible
