The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason. The front office might need to choose between two players or seek a trade involving a roster mainstay.

With that in mind, here are three Cavaliers who might not be back next season. 

Dean Wade has been a staple of the Cavaliers' roster throughout their rebuild and into this era of contention.

He originally signed with the Wine and Gold as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and worked his way into the team’s playoff starting lineup six years later; a perfect example of an underdog story.

Wade has a very specific skillset; he’s a long wing who is an elite defender and can space the floor with his three-point shooting. Throughout Wade’s career, he’s logged a defensive rating of 113 and shot 36.7 percent from behind the arc.

There are a number of teams that would love and beg for the type of production on their roster and might view Wade as the missing piece. 

The Cavaliers highly value Wade, but there might be a team that offers him a larger contract. With Cleveland in the second apron, it could be financially difficult for the team to bring Wade back.

Keon Ellis was a solid addition for the Cavaliers when they acquired him alongside Dennis Schroder at the trade deadline.

During the regular season, that’s exactly what he was: a depth piece who could play and guard multiple positions while providing floor spacing.

However, as Cleveland’s rotation tightened up for the postseason, Ellis saw his playing time dramatically drop. He averaged 24 minutes a game with the Cavaliers during the regular season, but just over seven minutes a game in the playoffs. 

That decision by Kenny Atkinson and his coaching staff shed some light on where Ellis stands, given Cleveland’s current roster makeup. He’s a great 3-and-D player, but a redundant piece on the Cavaliers’ roster. 

With Ellis being a free agent, the Cavaliers may choose to let him walk, prioritizing their tight budget elsewhere on the roster. 

The Cavaliers don’t need to move on from Max Strus this offseason. He still has one more year left on the four-year, $62 million contract he signed with Cleveland back during the 2023 offseason.

However, the Cavaliers can’t ignore the potential financial implications of trading Strus for roster flexibility. Strus is due to make about $16.6 million next year, while Cleveland is about $200,000 into the second apron, and about $13 million into the first apron. 

Moving on from Strus could be a massive financial benefit for the Cavaliers. 

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