Cleveland Cavaliers

Are the Cleveland Cavaliers in the luxury tax in 2026-27?

Yes. The Cavaliers owe an estimated $51.9M luxury-tax bill for 2026-27, sitting $21.8M into the tax.

Tax line

$200.4M

Tax payroll

$222.2M

Margin

-$21.8M

Tax bill

$51.9M

The tax line sits at $200.4M. The Cavaliers' tax payroll (contracts plus dead money; cap holds don't count here) is $222.2M, which puts them $21.8M over.

The bill is charged in $6.1M bands above the line at rates that climb each bracket: $1.00 on the first band, $1.25 on the second band, $3.50 on the third band, $4.75 on the fourth band. That works out to about $51.9M. The basketball penalties (lost exceptions, trade restrictions) start at the aprons above the tax line.

The rule behind this

The luxury tax is a financial penalty line above the salary cap. Teams whose payroll (contracts, dead money, and drafted rookies booked as signed; free-agent holds don't count here) exceeds it pay a tax on the overage, at rates that escalate in brackets the deeper a team goes.

What is the luxury tax? →What is the repeater tax? →What is the first apron? →