Training camp is closing in, and the pressure in Cleveland is already starting to hum.
The Cavaliers have spent the last several seasons building expectations, and those expectations are no longer modest. Nobody is talking about a title every year the way they did during the second LeBron James administration, but this is still a team that has been good for a half-decade and is supposed to be in the mix for a real run to the NBA Finals.
That kind of standard doesn’t land evenly. Donovan Mitchell carries plenty of it as the franchise star, but he just signed a new long-term contract, so his future isn’t in question.
James Harden is in a similar spot after his new deal. The real heat sits on three other names, each of whom could be in a very different place if this season goes sideways.
Kenny Atkinson is first on that list. The 2025 Coach of the Year arrived and immediately changed the feel of the offense, steering Cleveland to 64 wins and the No. 1 seed.
But the shine wore off fast in the postseason, when the Cavaliers got punked by the Indiana Pacers. Last year brought more frustration: a mediocre regular season, then a run to the Eastern Conference Finals that ended in a four-game sweep by the New York Knicks.
In some ways, even that deep run made the finish sting more.
Now Atkinson is trying to guide a team in a stronger Eastern Conference with what could be a shakier roster. The starting five may be better than it was last season, but it will need time to come together.
The bench, by comparison, is objectively worse. That leaves questions everywhere: are Jaylon Tyson and Meleek Thomas ready to contribute, can Mario Hezonja make the jump back into the NBA and become an impact piece, and is there another level for Evan Mobley?
If Cleveland settles into merely being good again and gets bounced in the second round, Atkinson could be the one paying for it.
Craig Porter Jr. is in a different kind of spotlight. Not long ago, he didn’t have a seat at all.
Now he’s in a position that looks a lot warmer. Dennis Scroder was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, opening up the backup point guard role.
Mitchell will handle the ball at times as the lone guard, but Porter Jr. is expected to be a rotation regular right away.
That’s a big leap for a former undrafted player who has looked solid in spot minutes but always had another option ahead of him. This time, the job is his to lose, and he’ll be asked to steady bench units that are both unproven and newly put together.
If he handles it, he could put himself in line for a new long-term contract. If he doesn’t, his NBA future could be in jeopardy.
Then there’s Jarrett Allen, the most obvious name if Cleveland ever decides it needs a shake-up. With Mitchell and Mobley locked in, and Harden’s new contract making him difficult to move anytime soon, Allen is the one core player who could be dealt at the deadline or next summer.
That possibility has hovered around him for years. The rumor mill has circled back to it like clockwork every few months.
Allen remains a useful center - somewhere in the 10th to 15th range at the position, a dependable defender, and a clean finisher around the basket. He’s paid fairly and, in a way, almost too easy to overlook.
If the Cavaliers stumble, he becomes the cleanest path to a roster change, likely in a deal for a wing or forward. Mobley would slide to full-time center, and Allen would be somewhere else while Cleveland’s season played out without him.
That could happen no matter how he performs. But if Allen and Mobley really click together, he gives himself a chance to push that breakup off for a while.
In Other News...
Former Cavs Are Headed Back To Cleveland With Plenty At Stake
Former Cavaliers are lining up for some familiar stops back in Cleveland, and this seasons calendar already has a little extra bite to it. Darius Garland is set to come through with the Houston Rockets, Max Strus will arrive with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Dean Wade has moved on after seven seasons in Cleveland to join the Philadelphia 76ers, where LeBron James now sits alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
The intrigue does not stop there. Kyrie Irving, now with the Dallas Mavericks, is also on track to visit Cleveland in mid-November, and he remains a potential trade candidate as the season unfolds. For Cavaliers fans, those games will carry more than nostalgia, since several of these former staples could be in motion again before long, adding another layer of uncertainty to matchups that already come with plenty of history. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Have A Jaylon Tyson Decision They Can't Drag Out
The Cavaliers have the luxury of stability in their starting group, with their core locked up for at least the next three seasons. James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen give Cleveland a clear foundation, but the front office also has to keep one eye on the edges of the roster, where Jaylon Tyson has quietly become a more interesting piece than he was a year ago.
Tysons improvement has put him on a different track than a simple fill-in wing, and the team controls him on options for the next two seasons. Even so, Cleveland does not have a long-term commitment in place yet, which means a rookie extension could come into focus after this season if the organization wants to keep him in the fold beyond 2028-29. For a team built around continuity, it is the kind of decision that cannot sit around for too long. [Read more 🡒]
Jarrett Allen's Cavaliers Role Suddenly Feels Far Less Secure
The Cavaliers spent the offseason trying to tighten up the edges of the roster, and the addition of Peyton Watson is part of that effort, giving Cleveland a fresher look on the wing after his breakout 2025-26 season. It also adds another piece to a team that has been thinking carefully about how to balance spacing, size and usage, especially with the frontcourt still central to what this group wants to do.
Jarrett Allen remains one of the clearest examples of why the Cavaliers have to keep their big men engaged on offense, even as the lineup starts to shift around him. His best stretches last season came when he played alongside James Harden, and Cleveland will need to find ways to preserve that kind of involvement if it wants to get the most out of Allen while also making room for Watson and the rest of the rotation. [Read more 🡒]