5 Cleveland Cavaliers Who Are Eligible for Contract Extensions This Offseason

Cleveland can lock up some of their key players before the group gets on the court again.

May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up before game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Now that we are a couple of days removed from the New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals, the celebration begins for them, and the offseason plans begin for the other 29 teams in the league.

One of those teams being the Eastern Conference Finals participant, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have a lot of questions to answer before next season starts. Does this team have the pieces to compete with the Knicks in the East moving forward? Do they need to make a big-time trade to turn the team around? And what we’ll be looking at in this article is whether there are any players eligible for contract extensions.

Donovan Mitchell is an obvious extension candidate, as after July 7th, Mitchell can sign a four-year, $272 million extension. Mitchell would be making $60.6 million a year starting in 2027-28, and would get up to $75.2 million in Mitchell’s age-34 season in 2030-31. He is also eligible after the 2027 season to earn a five-year, $352 million contract with the Cavaliers.

Apart from Mitchell, there are four other Cavaliers who enter this offseason eligible for extensions. 

Keon Ellis

The first is new piece, Keon Ellis, who can sign a three-year, $52.4 million contract through June 30th. 

Ellis averaged 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in 29 games played for Cleveland. What hurts Ellis is that he did not get much run in the playoffs, as he garnered 89 minutes total, shooting 33% from the floor and 35% from three. Ellis is a pest defensively, but might not be consistent enough shooting the ball to sign to that extension.

Dea Wade

The next candidate is Dean Wade, who is eligible for a four-year, $87 million contract also through June 30th.

Wade has been with the Cavaliers for seven seasons now and has grown into a reliable role player who has also stepped into the starting lineup. The question remains whether Wade is worth the $21 million a year, especially with the already expensive roster.

Max Strus

Max Strus is also available for extension, a four-year $104.5 million one. Strus is currently set to make $16.6 million in the upcoming season, then becomes an unrestricted free agent after 2026-27.

 After returning from injury, Strus showed why he is a playoff performer at times, hitting four-plus threes in multiple playoff games and bringing the intensity that many Cavaliers should follow. As far as extensions go, Strus seems the most likely to get one.

Craig Porter Jr.

The final candidate is Craig Porter Jr., who can sign a four-year, $92 million extension.

Porter is set to make $2.4 million in the 2026-27 season. Extending his contract will lead to a significant pay bump up to $23 million a year. Porter has had his moments where he’s shown he can get a bucket or two, but when the lineups shrank in the postseason, so did Porter’s role. He played just 21 minutes total across the three rounds and might not have a spot when the game gets gritty.