Are the Cavs done making roster improvements? Hey, Chris!

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s the latest edition of Hey, Chris!

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

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Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

Hey, Chris: Are the Cavs done making moves to improve the roster? What position are they looking to fill with the 14th roster spot? — Matt, Nashville, Tenn.

Hey, Matt: The Cavs will remain opportunistic, always looking for potential improvements. Does an unforeseen maneuver pop up over the next few months? Hard to predict.

A source tells cleveland.com that a member of the front office was in attendance for Victor Oladipo’s recent Vegas-based workout. Oladipo, 33, is trying to resuscitate his NBA career, proving to NBA decision-makers that he is healthy and can still be effective.

Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert was once a massive Oladipo fan, eager to select the bouncy Indiana star with the first-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft — until David Griffin, assistant general manager at the time, campaigned for UNLV’s Anthony Bennett. The rest is history.

Could Gilbert get his man more than a decade later? Does Oladipo fit?

Whether it’s Oladipo or someone else, the pool of remaining free agents is incredibly shallow.

Thomas Bryant. Mo Bamba. Tristan Thompson. Kevin Love (likely to receive a buyout from Utah). Javonte Green. Alec Burks. Malcolm Brogdon. Cory Joseph. Monte Morris. Ben Simmons. Those are just some of the names.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

The Cavs can’t offer more than the veteran’s minimum worth around $3 million annually, so the caliber of player on that salary number, at this point in the offseason, will likely have a minimal impact, especially given the depth on this roster already.

It’s hard to pinpoint a specific position. It seems the Cavs are open-minded, searching for the right stylistic fit. Another versatile wing will always be under consideration given coach Kenny Atkinson’s switch-heavy defensive philosophy. Don’t rule out another ballhandler either. Darius Garland’s offseason toe surgery will likely keep him sidelined through the first few weeks. Lonzo Ball has a lengthy injury history and may need health management throughout. The questions about Craig Porter Jr.’s readiness for an increased role will remain until he proves otherwise. Shifting Donovan Mitchell to point guard is always a viable option — although the Cavs don’t want to overdo it with Mitchell in the regular season.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

It’s worth noting there was plenty of chatter in the desert about defense-first forward Dean Wade possibly being moved. An unrestricted free agent following the season, the current belief is Wade likely wouldn’t return, with cap-strapped Cleveland being unable to afford him. So, do the Cavs try to get something of value now before he potentially departs? Sources say numerous contenders from each conference have expressed interest. The Dallas Mavericks have been fans for a few years, and a former Cleveland assistant is part of the coaching staff.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

One final layer to the Wade speculation: Two-way forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin continues to turn heads. The organization believes in Tomlin and he may get consideration for regular-season rotation minutes.

Speaking of the versatile Tomlin, who has displayed an expanded perimeter game at Summer League, Cleveland has another two-way slot available after deciding not to bring back youngster Emoni Bates, the No. 49 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

So, who will join Vegas standout Tomlin and Australian forward Luke Travers? The Cavs are evaluating numerous possibilities, including former Cleveland State product Tristan Enaruna who has shown an intriguing two-way skillset for the summer Cavs.

Hey, Chris: Are the Cavs better after their offseason moves? — Jeff, Medina

Hey, Jeff: I think they are. There’s a higher playoff ceiling, with a more versatile and defensively-capable roster.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

For everything that went wrong during the second-round matchup with eventual NBA finalist Indiana, no team had a worse defense in the conference semifinals than Cleveland — a franchise that repeatedly spoke about that end of the floor being its backbone.

In the five-game gentleman’s sweep, the Cavs stumbled to a putrid 116.7 defensive rating, as they were answerless against the high-powered Pacers. Cleveland needed to find more capable defenders this offseason. Supersized guard Lonzo Ball ranked in the 97th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus. Larry Nance Jr. — able to play both big positions and guard on the perimeter — has statistically been a plus-defender in all but one year. The polarizing Ty Jerome-Sam Merrill decision was somewhat tied to defensive reliability, with numbers pointing to Merrill being a much more impactful and effective player at that end.

The belief is none of those three — Ball, Nance or Merrill — will get played off the floor during an extended playoff run. It gives the reigning Coach of the Year more lineup flexibility.

Even though the Cavs considered some bigger moves, they opted for minor ones around the edges. And that may be good enough since the conference landscape has changed drastically over the last three months.

East champion Indiana lost stretch center Myles Turner in free agency and the Pacers will not have All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the 2025-26 season because of a ruptured Achilles suffered in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They won’t be the same threat without Haliburton, one of the league’s most important and impactful players.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

Boston, an annual contender, made multiple cost-saving moves following Jayson Tatum’s significant injury that will wipe away this upcoming campaign.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman speaks to the media during his end-of-season availability at the Cleveland Clinic courts.

Even Milwaukee, despite having the conference’s best player and Turner as its offseason prize, won’t be the same impediment.

Philadelphia is never healthy.

It’s essentially Cleveland, New York and retooled Orlando, with the upstart Detroit Pistons on the periphery. Atlanta could rise after a brilliant offseason.

The Finals road isn’t as treacherous.

Shortly after the Cavaliers flamed out in the playoffs, it looked like they needed to make substantial moves to take the next step and get closer to the other conference elite.

In this case, some of those teams ahead went in reverse, dragging them back to Cleveland and increasing its title chances organically.

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