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Cleveland Cavaliers

2021-22
2016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Latest available releaseLive database

How much flexibility did the Cleveland Cavaliers actually have in 2021-22?

CLE 2021-22 carried $136,385,911 of selected player charges (121.3% of the cap), placing it in over cap below tax on selected player charges. Its highest contracted function cost was interior finishing at 24.0% of the cap; highest measured need was creation. Exact exception and transaction legality is withheld without team cap-hold and exception-use ledgers.

Current cap position

Current position on selected player charges — not every cap hold or dead-money charge.
SupportedOver the cap, below the tax line, on selected player charges
Selected player charges
$136.4M
Share of cap
121%
Tax line
$220K under
First apron
$6.62M under
Second apron
No governed line that season
Exact thresholds
Salary cap: $112,414,000Luxury tax line: $136,606,000First apron: $143,002,000Second apron: Selected player charges: $136,385,911

Option exposure

Optional decisions ahead — reported amounts, not commitments.
Player options (0)
None
Team options (0)
None

Where the money maps

Which basketball functions the payroll is actually buying — shown beside need, never blended.

The largest contracted function cost is interior finishing at $27.0M; the highest measured need is creation.

4 critical-need functions3 underfunded needs5 redundant-cost functionsmapping covers 84% of charges

Acquisition paths

Threshold candidates only — a candidate route is not exact transaction legality.
Bird-rights retention (threshold candidate)Trade salary matching (threshold candidate)Non-taxpayer exception (threshold candidate only)Minimum signing
WithheldExact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence

Cash cost: Withheld — no cash-salary sample.

Selected player charges do not include every cap hold, dead-money charge or roster charge.

Threshold route candidates are not exact transaction legality.

Cash, cap and economic commitment remain separate; no universal flexibility or front-office score.