Yahoo Sports has the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting 11th in its NBA preseason power rankings, putting them just ahead of the Houston Rockets and just behind the Toronto Raptors.
Kevin O’Connor’s ranking comes after a season in which Cleveland knocked off Toronto and the Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster. That run ended with the New York Knicks sweeping the Cavaliers in the conference finals. The Knicks had already won the 2026 championship over the San Antonio Spurs.
Cleveland’s offseason was shaped by two major moves, and the first was adding Watson. The Cavaliers were in need of a small forward after LeBron left for the Philadelphia 76ers and Dean Wade also departed Cleveland for Philadelphia. Watson arrived on a four-year, $88 million deal that includes a player option and a trade kicker.
Last season with the Denver Nuggets, Watson put up 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from three and 73.0% at the line. He’s been described as one of the best two-way wings in the NBA.
The Cavaliers will open next season in Philadelphia against LeBron and the 76ers, setting up what should be an electric atmosphere.
The other headline move for Cleveland was locking up Mitchell on a massive extension. He agreed to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension with the Cavaliers.
Mitchell has been central to Cleveland since the team acquired him from the Utah Jazz in 2022. In a Cavaliers uniform, he’s averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 points per game in the playoffs.
That leaves Cleveland with a core of Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen, and the question hanging over the roster is the one that matters most: can it win a championship?
In Other News...
Cavs Just Put A Familiar Voice At The Center Of A Title Push
Brandon Weems is moving into the biggest chair in the Cavaliers front office at a moment when the franchise is trying to keep its momentum pointed at a title chase. Cleveland promoted Weems to general manager, putting a longtime internal voice in charge after he spent the past decade with the organization, most recently as assistant general manager and before that as a scout.
For the Cavs, the appeal is continuity as much as experience. Weems now takes on the core duties that shape the roster, including contract negotiations, and team president Koby Altman pointed to his leadership as part of the reason for the move. In a league where front office changes can ripple through everything from trades to cap planning, Cleveland is betting that a familiar hand can help keep the machine running smoothly. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Expectations Just Put Serious Pressure On 3 Key Names
The Cavaliers have spent the last couple of seasons building real momentum, and that kind of success changes the temperature around everything. Expectations are no longer about simply being competitive or proving the foundation works. They now hinge on whether Cleveland can keep pushing forward, and that puts a sharper spotlight on the people closest to the teams direction and identity.
Kenny Atkinson, Craig Porter Jr. and Jarrett Allen each carry a different kind of pressure in that setting. For Atkinson, it is about guiding a group that is expected to take another step. For Porter, it is about earning more trust and carving out a larger role. For Allen, it is about showing he can still be a central part of where this roster is headed, because the Cavaliers success this season could shape how all three are viewed going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Next Move Will Reveal Everything About This Core
The Cavaliers have reached the point where the roster itself starts to tell the story. With the regular season group essentially set and little financial wiggle room to add help on standard deals, the front office is staring at choices that say as much about the long term as they do about the next few months. Cleveland has built a core that looks sturdy on paper, but the next round of moves will show whether the organization sees this group as finished, needing a tweak, or due for something more dramatic.
Craig Porter Jr. is one name to watch if the Cavaliers need to create room, while Jarrett Allen remains the kind of established piece who would only enter the conversation if the team were seriously reconsidering its direction. Kenny Atkinsons status also hangs over the bigger picture after the playoff results, because coaching decisions at this stage rarely stay isolated from roster decisions. For a team trying to balance continuity with urgency, the next move may be the clearest signal yet about how much of this core Cleveland truly intends to keep together. [Read more 🡒]