The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a 52-30 season and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, but one NBA analyst sees a slight step back on the horizon.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report projected Cleveland to finish 49-33 next season, a three-win drop from last year’s mark.
That prediction lands in a summer where the Wine and Gold did not add much to the roster. Dean Wade departed for the Philadelphia 76ers, Keon Ellis signed with the Brooklyn Nets and Larry Nance Jr. headed to the Indiana Pacers. The biggest gut punch for Cleveland fans, though, came when LeBron James chose the 76ers instead of returning home.
Even with those changes, the Cavaliers’ core still looks familiar. James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen remain in place, and the question now is whether that group can finally get over the hump next season.
Cleveland’s most significant move came not through a trade or free-agent splash, but by locking up Mitchell. The guard agreed to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension after joining the Cavaliers from the Utah Jazz in 2022. In a Cleveland uniform, Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 points per game in the playoffs.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson is expected to roll out Harden, Mitchell, Max Strus, Mobley and Allen as the starting five to begin the season. There is also a chance Strus could be replaced by Peyton Watson or Jonathan Kuminga if Cleveland lands one of the forwards.
The schedule is already taking shape as well. Cleveland’s current slate includes 80 regular-season games, with 17 weekend home dates split between two Friday games, nine Saturday games and six Sunday games. Two more games will be added later, depending on Emirates NBA Cup results, to complete the full 82-game schedule.
The Cavaliers will also be on national TV 17 times next season. Their divisional and conference matchups are set, with each Eastern Conference opponent on the schedule four times except Boston, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington, which have the listed home-and-away breakdowns.
Cleveland opens the season in Philadelphia against LeBron and the 76ers, a matchup that should draw plenty of attention right away.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Finally Make The Backcourt Move Fans Knew Was Coming
The Cavaliers have been searching for a cleaner fit in the backcourt for a while, and they finally moved to address it by reshaping the point guard spot. Dennis Schroder, who arrived in Cleveland earlier and appeared in 30 games, is headed out after a short stay, while Tre Mann comes in after spending the last two and a half years with Charlotte.
For Cleveland, the deal does more than just swap one guard for another. It also brings salary-cap savings, giving the front office a little more flexibility as it continues sorting out the rotation around its core. Mann arrives with a fresh opportunity and the Cavs get a different kind of look at a position that has been under constant scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Land A National Spotlight For A Rivalry Fans Wont Ignore
The NBA is giving the Cavaliers an early national-stage test on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with Cleveland set to host the Pistons on Jan. 18 at noon Eastern to open the leagues four-game holiday slate. The matchup will air nationally on NBC and Peacock, putting a rivalry with recent playoff history in front of a wide audience right away.
For Cavs fans, it is the kind of spot that comes with both buzz and a little edge, especially with Detroit expected to be competitive in the Eastern Conference again. The holiday setting only adds to the weight of it, since these games tend to carry extra attention, and Cleveland will get the chance to make its case in one of the NBAs most visible windows of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Watson Just Became A Much Bigger Nuggets Story
Jonathan Kumingas unresolved summer has already changed the market around him, and the ripple effects are reaching Cleveland. What once looked like a straightforward next step after LeBron James decision has turned into a standoff, with the Lakers still showing interest but talks slowing down enough to send teams back to the drawing board. For the Cavaliers, that means recalibrating their thinking as they weigh what kind of wing help actually makes sense at this stage of the offseason.
Peyton Watson has increasingly emerged as the name to watch in that shift, because he looks like the more attainable path if the Kuminga negotiations keep dragging. Kumingas camp has complicated the process with its contract demands, and that has pushed rival front offices to focus on alternatives rather than wait indefinitely. Cleveland is among the teams keeping that option open, which makes Watson a bigger story here than he was even a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]