No more criticisms for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just when fans grew impatient with the Cavs’, well, patience, the team took off with a few moves that should put it right back in the mix to contend in the Eastern Conference next season.
The highlight addition of the offseason is the sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, the rising 23-year-old who should provide the Cavs the forward archetype they’ve lacked for years.
“Their main goal was to lure LeBron James back home, but it didn’t work,” Cavaliers reporter John Hobbs wrote for Sports Illustrated. “But that didn’t mean the Cavs weren’t successful; they got Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja, and they cleared salary by sending away Max Strus, Dean Wade, Dennis Schroder, Cam Whitmore and Tre Mann. It leaves Cleveland in a relatively healthy spot ahead of training camp and preseason. Adjustments, shaking off the cobwebs and learning each other’s roles will now be a focus of head coach Kenny Atkinson, but while his issue of a wing player is sorted — of sorts — there is now a new issue that the Cavaliers will need to work on ahead of the regular season.”
Alright, so offseason moves: check. A roster that can compete for the East crown next season: check. But what comes next?
Could This Cavaliers Star Be Out the Door Soon?
Darn that dreaded apron.
The Cavs have stars and plenty of money invested into them. That’s good news for next season … and maybe one more year after that. But if the Cavs choose to get particularly proactive financially, one player, as our NBA insider Sean Deveney reports, could be headed elsewhere next offseason (especially if Cleveland starts vacation early in 2027).
“The Cavaliers managed to finagle their way under the second apron while adding Peyton Watson to the roster. It was great work, but it is unsustainable with the second apron. Someone likely will need to go by next summer, and Allen is the most likely.”
Allen is, of course, a cornerstone in Cleveland. A one-time All-Star, Allen helps man arguably — *Cavs fans ball their fists … O.K., inarguably — the best frontcourt defensive duo in the NBA. But if it came down to choosing one of Allen, Evan Mobley, James Harden or Donovan Mitchell, who likely gets moved first? The answer seems clear enough.
Can Cleveland Say What’s Up to New York and Philadelphia?
That’s the bar the rest of the East is aiming to reach — and climb over.
The Knicks are the NBA champions and deserve to be recognized as that until another team claims the Larry O’Brien trophy. The 76ers, meanwhile, added Jaylen Brown and some dude with James on the back. Yeah, they’ll be pretty (very) good.
But the Cavs are not some throw away team; they’re coming off a conference finals, retained their core this offseason and added a potential future All-Star. Harden inked a new deal, and Mitchell is in the peak of his prime.
If the Cavs are serious about winning a championship, now is the time.
Report: Cavaliers’ $91 Million All-Star ‘Most Likely’ to Get Traded Soon