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The Wine & Gold Report · Morning

Cavs Questions: Thursday's Health, The Late Slide, The Tab

Three day-to-day players, a bad finish last season and a $209.0M payroll. Here's where Cleveland stands.

4 questions
By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk · Monday, October 19

Cleveland opens Thursday at Philadelphia with three players listed day-to-day. The questions behind that game are the late slide last season, Jaylon Tyson's role and the cost of this roster.

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Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Who is healthy for Thursday in Philadelphia?

Cleveland opens Thursday, Oct. 22, at the 76ers on ESPN. Sam Merrill (elbow), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (back) and Khalifa Diop (knee) are day-to-day, each with an estimated return of Oct. 22. Four camp players also left over the weekend, and Hoops Rumors reported Cleveland among the teams waiving Exhibit 10 players.

Should the late slide from last season worry us?

Last season Cleveland went 52-30 and outscored opponents by 2.8 points a game. Over its last 10 games, that margin turned to minus-5.7. Ten games is a small sample, and nothing here explains the drop. But it is the freshest evidence of how the year ended, and Thursday is the first chance to see if it carried over.

What is Jaylon Tyson's real role?

Last season Tyson played 66 games, scored 13.2 points and shot 44.6 percent from three. Over his last five games, his minutes fell to 8.3 a night. That is a big swing for a 23-year-old, and Kenny Atkinson has not said which Tyson to expect. Watch his first-half minutes Thursday.

Can Cleveland afford this roster?

Payroll is $209.0M, above the $200.4M tax line. Mitchell is paid $50.1M, Mobley $50.1M, Harden $30.6M and Allen $28.0M. The 2027, 2028 and 2029 firsts are all swaps, and only the 2030 first is fully Cleveland's own. The margin for mistakes is thin, so this group has to win now.

The verdictThursday's lineup and Tyson's minutes will tell us more than any camp headline. The cost is already locked in, so the wins have to come.
When do the Cavaliers open the 2026-27 season?

Cleveland opens Thursday, Oct. 22, at the 76ers on ESPN. Home games follow against the Nets on Oct. 24, the Timberwolves on Oct. 26 and the Wizards on Oct. 28.

Is Cleveland over the luxury tax?

Yes. The payroll is $209.0M against a tax line of $200.4M.

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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