The Cavaliers are getting respect in a big way, landing fourth in Bleacher Report’s future NBA power rankings for the next three years.
Grant Hughes pointed to Cleveland’s blend of star power, defense and long-term security as the reason the team sits so high on the list. The biggest piece of that outlook is simple: Evan Mobley is still there. As Hughes put it, “As long as they don't trade 25-year-old Evan Mobley, the Cleveland Cavaliers should have a high defensive floor,”
Donovan Mitchell is the other pillar holding the whole thing together. Hughes noted that Mitchell’s extension keeps him tied to Cleveland through 2029-30, which gives the Cavs a proven lead scorer with multiple All-NBA nods. Hughes also singled out Peyton Watson as the swing piece who could push the team out of that “not-quite-contender” lane it has occupied for the past several seasons.
Watson’s fit is a huge part of why Cleveland is drawing this kind of attention. Hughes wrote, “Peyton Watson fits right between those two stars and could be the reason Cleveland ditches the not-quite-contender status it has held for the last handful of seasons.
The Cavs have been extremely expensive for a while, and Mobley's extension will take up 30 percent of the cap for most of the next half-decade. Without control of a first-rounder until 2030, Cleveland is also short on flexibility.
If things go very wrong, a reset that involves a Mitchell and/or Mobley trade could restock the cupboards. For now, the Cavs feel like a lock to win 55-plus games and should scare teams more than ever with Watson's defense and athleticism joining the operation.”
Cleveland is expected to open next season with James Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the starting five, with newcomer Mario Hezonja coming off the bench.
The front office already saw how far this group could go. The Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster. Their run ended there, though, when the New York Knicks - the 2026 champions after beating the San Antonio Spurs - swept them in the conference finals.
Watson’s arrival came at a position of need for Cleveland after LeBron went to the Philadelphia 76ers and Dean Wade left for Philadelphia. Last season with the Nuggets, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from three and 73.0% at the line. Cleveland signed him to a four-year, $88 million deal that includes a player option and a trade kicker.
Mitchell remains the engine of the offense. Since arriving from the Utah Jazz in 2022, he has averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 in the playoffs in a Cavaliers uniform.
So the question hanging over this group is the obvious one: can Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen actually turn all that talent into a championship? Cleveland is positioned to make a serious run at answering it.
In Other News...
Cavs Just Created Another Roster Squeeze Fans Need To Watch
The Cavaliers are already making another quick roster adjustment after waiving forward Cam Whitmore, a player they had only acquired eight days earlier in the five-team deal that brought him to Cleveland. Whitmore, a 2023 first-round pick, is expected to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent, which makes this less about his fit in the short term and more about the teams larger offseason bookkeeping as the front office keeps trying to balance talent, flexibility and a crowded roster.
Cleveland plans to use the stretch provision on Whitmores contract, a move that opens up another layer of maneuvering for the Cavs as they continue sorting out salary-cap space. The next step could be just as telling, with the team also considering a draft-rights rookie signing to help manage the roster count, a sign that every slot is getting closely monitored as the Cavaliers keep reshaping the back end of the bench. [Read more 🡒]
How One Cavs Trade Five Years Ago Changed Everything
Five years ago, the Cavaliers were still trying to thread the needle between a rebuild and a reset when they sent Larry Nance Jr. to Portland in a three-team deal that brought Lauri Markkanen to Cleveland from Chicago. At the time, it looked like one of those moves meant to add size, shooting and a little more long-term flexibility to a roster still searching for an identity.
What came next is what really changed the franchises trajectory. Markkanens rise in Utah helped set the stage for another major swing, and the Cavs eventually packaged Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, Markkanen and draft picks to land Donovan Mitchell, a move that has since given Cleveland the kind of centerpiece it had been chasing. The two trades are connected in a way that still shapes the roster today, even if one of the key names involved ended up becoming an All-Star elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Mitchell May Be Facing A Cavs Role He Shouldn't Have To
The Cavaliers guard rotation already felt a little tight, and the recent moves only made that more obvious. Cleveland brought in Peyton Watson and sent out Tre Mann, a swap that leaves Kenny Atkinson with fewer reliable answers behind the main ballhandlers and puts more pressure on how the backcourt is arranged from night to night.
Donovan Mitchell is the obvious player to absorb some of that workload, even if it is not the role that best fits his game. He can handle the ball and keep the offense moving, but asking him to function more like a full-time point guard creates a different kind of strain on the lineup and the minutes chart, especially if the Cavs have to patch together those backup possessions without a true floor general. [Read more 🡒]