3 Cavaliers Who Won't Return For 2026-27 After Getting Swept By Knicks

The New York Knicks absolutely cleaned the floor with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sweeping them in four straight in the Eastern Conference Final, including a 37-point demolition in Game 4.

The Cavs love their Core Four of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. But what will this team do to get to the next level? They tried replacing Darius Garland with Harden, and as could have been predicted, it didn't pay off in the playoffs, as The Beard has never gotten it done in the postseason.

Yet, we're already hearing, less than 24 hours after being knocked out, that Mitchell and Harden will be extended this offseason, and the Cavs will continue to go forward with them.

Let's have a look now at three players who won't be back for the Cavaliers next season.

Jarrett Allen

This would hurt, and remove an elite rim-protector, but as Sam Quinn notes in CBS Sports, "Centers are back in vogue. Someone would pay handsomely to get Allen, especially coming off of the best playoff run of his career." And the Cavs could use Allen, as he opines, to deal for a wing player who really moves the needle. "The core problem with their wing rotation is that none of them are reliable on both ends of the floor." Trading Allen could solve that lineup deficiency.

Max Strus

Strus could be that two-way wing that Quinn talks about, but he has played only 62 regular-season games total over the past two seasons. Just 12 this past year. As Wynston Wilcox noted in Fansided, Strus "hasn't really been that spark off the bench like the Cavs hoped... He is set to make more than $16.6 million next year and instead of bringing him back, the Cavs should look to get something in return for him."

Dean Wade

Wade is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Cavaliers enter the free agency period facing a projected $225 million payroll. That puts them above the second apron, meaning they'll have to make some significant financial cuts. Bidding to bring back Wade in free agency should not be one of their priorities. He "simply did not do enough offensively to stay on the floor," writes Wilcox, who then calls Wade "just a roster spot at this point, and Cleveland won't get any closer to a Finals appearance with him around."

There could be roster carnage in Cleveland this offseason, as they attempt to get under the second apron to free up some roster flexibility.