Cavaliers’ Roster Could Face a Major Shake-Up With NBA Expansion in the Future

The Las Vegas NBA team is coming sooner than many think. The discussions have been ongoing and the valuation was recently given by the NBA that it would cost $12 to $13 billion. But forget those semantics. This is about how it affects the Cavs.

ESPN Sources: The NBA is expected to select the winning bid for owner of the Las Vegas expansion team in the very near future, with a price of at least $12-13 billion for the franchise and new arena among three finalist groups – Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie; Steve…
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2026

There has not been an expansion franchise since 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats entered the league. The way the new squads fill their rosters are via expansion draft. The rules are pretty simple. Every team can protect eight players from being selected. Everybody else is fair game.

So the question becomes… How will this affect the team’s future when it does happen?

Projecting The Protected Players

There is no doubt that the Cavs starting five, good enough to provide championship aspirations for the franchise, would all stick. There is a 0.0000% chance that any of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, or Jarrett Allen would be left unprotected.

Moving on to the bench, it does get a bit tough to decide which players to hold on to. The first two spots are almost no-brainers, though. With all he has provided to the team for the last few years, Sam Merrill should be safe. He’s a viable sixth man of the year candidate, and is somebody that the franchise cannot afford to lose.

Second on the list is the other most improved from the squad last year, Jaylon Tyson. His two-way prowess makes him a force, and once he gets the consistency down, he will become an everyday threat in the league.

The last spot does get a bit tougher. Between Tyrese Proctor, Meleek Thomas, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Mario Hezonja, it can be a bit murky. Youth would have to be the likely priority, with the 20-year-old Thomas being the one kept.

Bearing in mind that this is still a few years away, this is not a decision being made right this second. But, it is going to surely affect long-term expectations and change a bit of the trajectory.

Not to mention that the Seattle Supersonics aren’t far behind, the second expansion draft will happen pretty close to the first.

Does Looming Expansion Draft Affect Cavs Aspirations?

The short answer to the question would be no. The Cavs would be able to keep their primary core intact, even if an expansion draft does come around. Any guys they do lose should be able to get re-couped in free agency, perhaps for an even cheaper amount.

Getting more teams in the NBA will make playoff spots a bit tougher to compete for, while possibly sliding teams from the West over to the East. The biggest threat to Cleveland in all of this would be the Minnesota Timberwolves changing conferences. They would become instant contenders in the East, even more so than over in the West.

When the time comes and things are official, the conversation can be resumed. For now, the focus is on winning a title in 2026-27. In keeping everybody on the same page.

The expansion drafts will happen sooner than later though, so let’s see what that does to the situation.

Add us as a preferred source on Google