NBA Conference Finals Show How Modern Title Contenders Are Built
The Knicks and Cavs have the league’s two most expensive rosters.
The NBA’s conference finals are set with two returnees from last year and two newcomers. Back are the Knicks and Thunder, while the Cavaliers and Spurs are back in the league’s final four for the first time since the 2010s. Thunder GM Sam Presti once said, “ You can’t build a team the same way in every city .
” But the two matchups are challenging that premise with similar approaches to roster construction: through the draft, or by trading for stars. The 2025 Finals featured the first matchup between two non-tax paying teams in decades between the Thunder and Pacers. That won’t happen again this year, as the two teams left standing in the East have the two highest payrolls in the league.
The Cavaliers and Knicks mostly built their teams through star trades and free agency. Cleveland was the lone NBA team in the second apron this season, boasting an opening night payroll of roughly $229 million —but reduced it to $212 million after a series of cost-saving trades. The trades also saved the Cavaliers more than $50 million in luxury tax fees.
The Knicks are slightly lower at $207 million. Cleveland acquired its stars through trades in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. They acquired All-Star center Jarrett Allen in the 2021 trade that sent Harden to Brooklyn, and drafted 2025 Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.