Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Milwaukee Bucks Off-Season Preview

Will the Cavs trade Donovan Mitchell? What will the Bucks do to improve this off-season? Will the Pacers give Pascal Siakam a max contract? The Pacers, Cavs, and Bucks have a lot of decisions to make this off-season. In this preview, I will lay out all the contract information, draft picks, and cap space. I will dive into each team’s top priorities and team needs and select the best fits in the draft and free agency.
 
You can check out the other teams I have already previewed in the links below.
 

Indiana Pacers

Under Contract:

  • Tyrese Haliburton: 5 Years – $245.34M
  • Myles Turner: 1 Year Left – $19.93M (2 Years – $40.9M)
  • Aaron Nesmith: 3 Years – $33M
  • T.J. McConnell: 1 Year Left – $9.3M (4 Years – $33.6M), $5M Guaranteed, Extension Eligible
  • Bennedict Mathurin: 2 Years Left – $16.43M (4 Years – $29.94M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
  • Jarace Walker: 3 Years Left – $21.51M (4 Years – $27.57M, Rookie Contract), Last 2 Years are Team Options
  • Isaiah Jackson: 1 Year Left – $4.44M (4 Years – $12.16M, Rookie Contract), Extension Eligible
  • Ben Sheppard: 3 Year Left – $10.49M (4 Years – $13.02M, Rookie Contract), Last 2 Years are Team Options
  • Kendall Brown: 2 Years Left – $4.42M (4 Years – $5.52M), Non-Guaranteed, Last Year is Team Option
  • Andrew Nembhard: 2 Years Left – $4.21M (4 Years – $8.58M), Extension Eligible, Last Year is Team Option

Options:

  • Jalen Smith: Player Option – $5.42M, Extension Eligible

Free Agents:

  • Pascal Siakam (UFA)
  • Doug McDermott (UFA)
  • Obi Toppin (RFA)
  • James Johnson (UFA)

Draft Picks:

  • 36th Pick (From TOR)
  • 49th Pick (From CLE)
  • 50th Pick (From NOP)

Cap Space:

  • Projected Maximum Cap Space: $35.4M

Top Priorities/Team Needs:

  • Re-sign Pascal Siakam: The Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam mid-season, giving up a couple of players and 3 first-round picks. Adding another star player gave the Pacers a 1-2 punch with Haliburton and Siakam. Siakam is an unrestricted free agent, but the Pacers need to re-sign him immediately given his production, how he affects the game, and how many assets they gave up trading for him. They will likely give him a max-extension, which would use up all of their available cap space.
  • Extend Andrew Nembhard: As a second-round pick in 2022, Nembhard has solidified himself in the rotation for the Pacers. He showed major improvement during the playoffs and proved he can be a key part of the Pacer’s future. The Pacers need to look at extending Nembhard for the right price.
  • Explore extension for T.J. McConnell: With one year left on his contract, T.J. McConnell is available for an extension this summer. This year, he proved to be one of the best backup point guards in the league. He brought energy and effort off the bench and kept the offense going when Haliburton was on the bench. The Pacers should look at extending McConnell if it’s a team-friendly deal.
  • Perimeter defense: During the regular season, the Pacers were the 7th worst defense in the league with a 117.6 defensive rating. Their defensive rating dropped to 118.8 in the playoffs. There could be some internal growth on defense, but the Pacers should look to add a perimeter defender or two while keeping their offensive identity intact.
  • Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception: The Pacers are under the luxury tax, so they have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to use, worth $12.4M. They can bring Obi Toppin back with this exception or bring in another player in free agency like Derrick Jones Jr.

Draft Fits:

  • 36th Pick:
    • Jamal Shead
    • Jaylon Tyson
    • Oso Ighodaro
    • Keshad Johnson
  • 49th Pick:
    • Jalen Bridges
    • Pelle Larsson
  • 50th Pick:
    • Tristan Newton
    • Reece Beekman

Free Agent Fits:

  • Derrick Jones Jr.
  • Caleb Martin
  • Delon Wright

Cleveland Cavaliers

Under Contract:

  • Darius Garland: 4 Years Left – $163.23M (5 Years – $197.23M)
  • Donovan Mitchell: 2 Years Left – $72.51M (5 Years – $163M), Extension Eligible, Last Year is Player Option
  • Jarrett Allen: 2 Years Left – $40M (5 Years – $100M), Extension Eligible
  • Caris LeVert: 1 Year Left – $16.62M (2 Years – $32M)
  • Max Strus: 3 Years Left – $47.81M (4 Years – $62.3M)
  • Evan Mobley: 1 Year Left – $11.23M (4 Years – $36.67M, Rookie Contract), Extension Eligible
  • Georges Niang: 2 Years Left – $16.7M (3 Years – $25.5M)
  • Dean Wade: 2 Years Left – $12.79M (3 Years – $18.5M), Extension Eligible
  • Ty Jerome: 1 Year Left – $2.56M (2 Years – $5M)
  • Sam Merrill: 1 Year Left – $2.16M (3 Years – $5.01), Non-Guaranteed
  • Craig Porter Jr.: 3 Years Left – $6.52M (4 Years – $8.02), $10k Guaranteed, Last Year is Team Option

Options:

  • None

Free Agents:

  • Isaac Okoro (RFA)
  • Damian Jones (UFA)
  • Marcus Morris Sr. (UFA)
  • Tristan Thompson (UFA)

Draft Picks:

  • 20th Pick

Cap Space:

  • Projected Maximum Cap Space: $19M+ over the cap

Top Priorities/Team Needs:

  • Keep or trade Donovan Mitchell: Mitchell is extension eligible this summer with 2 years on his contract, with the last year being a player option. He would likely opt out of the player to sign a larger deal next summer, so the Cavs need to prioritize extending Mitchell this off-season and not risk letting him hit free agency. Recent report suggest he is willing to sign an extension, but if he ends up not doing so, they need to look at trade offers.
  • Assess the chemistry and cohesiveness of the starting 5: The front office has a lot of decisions to make this off-season. They need to reassess the roster, specifically the starting unit, and decide if they complement each other or not. Does the backcourt of Garland and Mitchell complement each other? Does the frontcourt of Allen and Mobley complement each other? The most common starting 5 lineup for the Cavs had a plus-1.4 net rating during the regular season and a minus-10.8 net rating in the playoffs. Changes need to be made, but what moves will maximize this roster is the biggest problem they have to figure out.
  • Extend Evan Mobley: Mobley has been incredible on the defensive end during his career. He has been top-ten in blocks and defensive rating twice and made the all-defensive first team during the ’22-’23 season. He is still inconsistent offensively but has shown improvements on that end. I don’t expect Mobley to receive a max-contract, but a deal worth $30M-$35M per year could be on the table.
  • Keep or trade Jarrett Allen: Allen has been rumored as a trade candidate for over a year now, but it seems like the Cavs’ front office is hesitant about making a deal. Allen has 2 years left on a valuable contract and is extension eligible this off-season. Keeping and extending both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley would restrict the Cavalier’s financial flexibility in the future. Mobley is likely to remain a central piece of the Cavs young core, so moving on from Allen is the most logical move. Trading him this summer will give the Cavs the most value in return.
  • Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception: The Cavs are not over the luxury tax yet, so they have the ability to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth $12.4M. They could bring Okoro back with this exception or add another player in free agency.

Draft Fits:

  • 20th Pick:
    • Ja’Kobe Walter
    • Tristan Da’Silva
    • Kyle Filipowski
    • Johnny Furphy

Free Agent Fits:

  • Isaac Okoro
  • Kelly Oubre Jr.
  • Kyle Anderson

Milwaukee Bucks

Under Contract:

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo: 4 Years Left – $224.67M (5 Years – $228.2M [Last Year Voided] + 3-Year Extension – $175.88M), Last Year is Player Option
  • Damian Lillard: 3 Years Left – $161.7M (4 Years – $176.27M + 2-Year Extension – $112.91M), Last Year is Player Option
  • Khris Middleton: 2 Years Left – $65.68M (3 Years – $93M), Last Year is Player Option
  • Brook Lopez: 1 Year Left – $23M (2 Years – $48M)
  • Bobby Portis: 2 Years Left – $26.02M (4 Years – $48.58M), Extension Eligible, Last Year is Player Option
  • Pat Connaughton: 2 Years Left – $18.85M (3 Years – $28.27M), Extension Eligible, Last Year is Player Options
  • MarJon Beauchamp: 2 Years Left – $7.51M (4 Years – $12.61M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
  • AJ Green: 2 Years Left – $4.42M (3 Years – $6.32M), Non-Guaranteed
  • Andre Jackson Jr.: 3 Years Left – $4.52M (4 Years – $7.64M), $946k Guaranteed
  • Chris Livingston: 3 Years Left – $4.52M (4 Years- $7.64M), Last Year is Team Option

Options:

  • None

Free Agents:

  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo (UFA)
  • Malik Beasley (UFA)
  • Patrick Beverley (UFA)
  • Jae Crowder (UFA)
  • Danilo Gallinari (UFA)

Draft Picks:

  • 23rd Pick (From NOP)
  • 33rd Pick (From POR)

Cap Space:

  • Projected Maximum Cap Space: $49M+ over the cap

Top Priorities/Team Needs:

  • Financials Restrictions: The Bucks are in a bind with their financials. They are a second apron team, meaning they have very limited options for making roster moves. They are likely stuck with the players currently on their roster, but they can still sign veteran minimum contracts and trade certain first-round picks. The second apron rules include:
    • They are unable to use their taxpayer mid-level exception.
    • They are unable to bring back larger contracts in trades.
    • They cannot sign players who were waived and whose salary is above the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
    • They cannot use cash in trades.
    • They cannot trade a first-round pick more than 6 years out.
  • Depth: Depth is a major issue for the Bucks heading into the off-season. With the financial limitations, it will be difficult to add valuable depth pieces that can contribute on a title-contender. They have two picks in this year’s draft and a few unproven young players. They need a couple of those players to take that next step in their development and contribute in a positive way.
  • Health: Giannis, Lillard and Middleton only played 42 games together this year and went 28-14. Giannis missed the playoffs and the Bucks lost in the first round. You can’t always control injuries, but they need to do everything they can to try to keep their players healthy if they want to make another championship run.

Draft Fits:

  • 23rd Pick:
    • Johnny Furphy
    • Tyler Kolek
    • Kyle Filipowski
    • Zach Edey
  • 33rd Pick:
    • Baylor Scheierman
    • Jamal Shead
    • Ajay Mitchell

Free Agent Fits:

  • Only available to sign veteran minimum contracts.

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