Changes could be coming to the Cleveland Cavaliers after dismal start originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Cavaliers may be considering significant changes this season. A new report from Cavaliers’ insider, Chris Fedor, suggests that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is unhappy with the team’s struggles this season. The team is struggling on the court this season, while already paying a massive amount of money for the roster.
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The Club is in the second apron of the NBA’s salary cap, making it harder for the team to make moves to improve the team due to limitations on how the team can move money around. Gilbert’s not shy about spending money; after all, the team was in the red by about $40 million in their championship season of 2016. He’ll spend money if it means they win, but now that they’re not winning….Well, then things get interesting.
The Cavs’ struggles and their high payroll have people like Chris Fedor reporting that Gilbert is open to shaking things up,
“Two sources with knowledge of the situation say that Dan Gilbert is very unhappy about what is going on,” Fedor said (via Fadeaway World). “He turns on the games and he hears boos four times in the last five games? It’s the highest payroll in the NBA, and it’s the only team in the second apron. He’s willing to do that when he thinks the team has a chance to win a championship, but when you see this 29 games in, you start asking questions.”
The Cavs are playing poorly, especially after last season’s dominance on the defensive end. The Cavs’ offense and defense are down from the prior season. The offense fell from first in points in 2024-2025 to just 12th this season, while their defense went from 8th to 15th.
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Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have missed a lot of time, plus the Cavs made some personnel choices. They let Ty Jerome leave in free agency to acquire Lonzo Ball, a move that hasn’t helped the Cavs at all this season.
While Ball is a better passer and, supposedly, a better defender than Jerome, Ball can’t score and never really could. His inability to play every game as well has made whatever positive defensive impact he can make limited at best.
Garland’s injuries are not his only issues. When Garland has been healthy, he’s shot poorly, shooting a career low 37.9% from the floor and 32.2% from three. Couple that with Garland’s lackluster defense when he’s healthy, and you can see how his impact on the team has mostly been bad.
There is hope, as he did drop 35 points against the Bulls on Dec. 19, but even if his shot is falling, he remains a defensive liability. Another curious case is that of DeAndre Hunter, who has been moved to the bench after struggling all season. Once considered a rising three-and-D type of player, Hunter is being beaten consistently on defense, while shooting an abysmal 30% from three.
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He’s not the only one who is missing his three-point shots, either. The team is also struggling to shoot threes this season, dropping to 27th this season, down from second last season. Clearly, changes have to be made, and it seems like Gilbert is well aware of that.
