The Cavaliers were busy last summer, making a coaching change and signing stars Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to massive contract extensions.
Those moves helped the Cavs deliver one of the franchise’s most memorable regular seasons, as they earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the NBA playoffs. The 2025 postseason, though, finished in the same disappointing fashion as the previous year with the Cavs getting bounced in the second round in five games.
So what will this summer look like for the Cavs?
We’ll track Cavs trades, trade rumors and other news here as they look to better position themselves to make a championship run.
Cavs re-signing Sam Merrill
The Cavaliers are keeping one of their own by reaching an agreement to re-sign backup shooting guard Sam Merrill, who had been scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 6
A league source confirmed the agreement for the Beacon Journal. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the deal.
Cleveland Cavaliers trade for Lonzo Ball, dealing Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls
The Cavs struck an agreement June 28 to trade small forward Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for point guard Lonzo Ball, an NBA source confirmed for the Beacon Journal.
The move comes less than a year after the Cavs gave Okoro a three-year, $33 million contract extension in September 2024.
Ball could give the Cavs a significant boost if he stays healthy after being plagued by injuries.
Cavs don’t make any draft-night trades, select Tyrese Proctor, Saliou Niang in NBA draft’s second round
There were plenty of trades made throughout the NBA draft’s second round. The Cavs, though, were not among the teams making deals during Day 2 of the draft June 26. They used the 49th overall pick to take Tyrese Proctor of Duke and the 58th pick to select Saliou Niang from Trento in Italy. Proctor is a guard. Niang is a wing. Proctor could find a spot in the rotation depending on how free agency goes and his own development, while Niang will continue to play in Europe for the foreseeable future.
Report: Cavs among ‘wild-card suitors’ of Kevin Durant before Suns traded him to Rockets
According to multiple reports, the Cleveland Cavaliers were among several teams that expressed interest in acquiring Kevin Durant before the forward was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Cavs were among the “wild-card suitors” to emerge, while Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor referenced Cleveland’s interest on his podcast, stating he had “heard” the Cavaliers even offered Darius Garland in a proposed package for Durant.
When does NBA free agency start?
There are a few key dates to know.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs trades, rumors | Deals that are done or could be in the works ahead of NBA free agency
Reporting by Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
