Cleveland Cavaliers

Who are the Cleveland Cavaliers free agents in 2027-28?

Season2026-272027-282028-29 2029-30 2030-31

The Cavaliers have 4 free agents carrying cap holds for 2027-28, led by James Harden, Max Strus, Nae'Qwan Tomlin.

James Harden (Early Bird (130%))

$55.0M

Max Strus (Bird 150%)

$25.0M

Nae'Qwan Tomlin (Non-Bird (120%))

$2.9M

Craig Porter (Non-Bird (120%))

$2.9M

Total holds

$85.8M

Each unsigned free agent occupies a cap hold sized by his Bird bracket (a percentage of his previous salary), totalling $85.8M on the Cavaliers' books. Holds count against the cap only, never the tax or aprons.

Each hold stays until the player re-signs, signs elsewhere, or is renounced. Renouncing clears the hold instantly but surrenders the Bird rights to re-sign him over the cap.

This is a forward look at 2027-28: it counts the contracts, options, and cap holds already on the Cavaliers books for that season. Signings, trades, and option decisions between now and then will move these numbers.

The rule behind this

A cap hold is a placeholder amount charged to a team's cap for each of its own free agents, sized as a percentage of his previous salary (his Bird bracket). It exists to stop a loophole: without holds, a team could spend all its cap space on outsiders and then still re-sign its own stars with Bird rights.

What is the cap hold? →What are Bird rights? →What does renouncing a free agent mean? →