CLEVELAND, Ohio — Forget free agency. The NBA’s offseason is about to become a trade market free-for-all.
In the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, the crew delivered a blunt assessment of the upcoming NBA offseason that should have fans preparing for fireworks on the trade market rather than free agency.
“Everything this offseason in the NBA that people are preparing for is trades,” Chris Fedor stated.
This lackluster free agency class — potentially headlined by Myles Turner if stars like LeBron James and James Harden stay put — creates a scenario where trades become the primary avenue for meaningful roster changes.
For teams like the Cavs, who are approaching the dreaded second apron of the NBA’s increasingly punitive luxury tax system, the challenge becomes even more complex.
“It becomes tricky financially. ... As a potential second apron team, they would just have to get creative and bring in a third team or a fourth team,” Fedor explained, highlighting how the new CBA’s restrictions will force teams to think beyond traditional two-team trades.
As the conversation shifted toward trade possibilities, the spotlight turned to how the Cavaliers might finally break through in the postseason.
One strategy: enlisting cap-flexible teams like Brooklyn and Detroit or rebuilding franchises such as Utah and Washington to act as third-party facilitators. These organizations could absorb unwanted contracts or swing draft picks in return for long-term assets, smoothing the path for a blockbuster move in Cleveland.
The real intrigue, though, centered on potential targets that align with the Cavs’ playoff aspirations. Names like Trey Murphy III from New Orleans and Jaden McDaniels from Minnesota surfaced — young, high-upside wings who could fill critical gaps on the perimeter.
In the right deal, Cleveland could add the kind of two-way length, perimeter spacing, and point-of-attack defense it’s been missing — the exact skill set offered by emerging wings like Murphy and McDaniels. Either player could help reshape the Cavs’ roster into a more balanced and playoff-resilient unit, built to finally push beyond the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The second apron — a new frontier in the NBA’s salary cap structure — severely limits teams’ ability to acquire talent through sign-and-trades and other traditional methods. Teams like the Cavaliers and Timberwolves, both potentially above this threshold, face unprecedented challenges in roster construction.
This doesn’t mean improvement is impossible. Just that it requires a different approach.
The podcast discussion illuminated how multi-team trades will become increasingly common, with salary-matching gymnastics requiring the involvement of third and fourth teams to make deals work under the complex CBA rules.
Despite these complications, Fedor expressed confidence that the framework for such deals exists: “I think there are enough teams out there that you could entice to pull into these deals. Even if it’s a four-team deal. I think those are possible in today’s NBA for sure.”
The podcast also explored how “new eyes” in front offices can facilitate deals, with fresh management perspectives often making previously untouchable players suddenly available. This dynamic creates opportunities for teams willing to pursue complex trade frameworks rather than pursuing the limited free agent market.
For Cavaliers fans wondering how the team might improve after another disappointing playoff exit, the message was clear: look to the trade market, not free agency, for meaningful changes to the roster this summer.
To hear the complete breakdown of potential trade scenarios and how teams like the Cavaliers will navigate the second apron restrictions, check out the full episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast for all the insider perspectives on what promises to be a trade-heavy NBA offseason.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Wine and Gold Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._