Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[Tyler]

Those rules look like a deal-killer to me. The Cavs are apparently over 13M above A2, and unless they end a trade UNDER that line, they can't combine salaries to take back a bigger one. But DAL can't take back more than they send.

...

So here's the exercise for AD-to-CLE imo. Can someone create any version of DAL (AD), MIL (GA), and CLE (some package of really good players) doing a deal that includes those star players moving plus MIL absorbing a lot of added payroll that provides major salary reduction to CLE and maybe a bit to DAL?

For the first part of the deal, a relatively simple 3-way trade with Cleveland, Charlotte, and Brooklyn can quickly shed $20mm for Cleveland to get them well under the 2nd apron. Allen and Highsmith to Charlotte (Allen is the C they want, and Highsmith is expiring), Sexton (expiring) and a draft tip to Brooklyn, and no salary to Cleveland.

Do that, and aggregation for other deals is back on the table.