The Cavaliers may not be done tinkering yet, and Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale already has three names on the board for Cleveland if the front office goes shopping.
Favale pointed to Justin Champagnie of the Washington Wizards, Jabari Walker of the Philadelphia 76ers and GG Jackson of the Memphis Grizzlies as possible trade targets for the Cavaliers. His case was simple: each player is cheap enough to imagine in Cleveland, and each one fits a role the Cavs could use.
"Justin Champagnie, Jabari Walker and GG Jackson II are each cheap enough for the Cavs to dream about," Favale wrote. "All of them can log minutes as a backup 4.
Champagnie can sponge up reps as the 2 or 3 as well. Walker can slide up to the 5 in a pinch.
"Depth-chart politics are Cleveland's best friend for each of these guys. Champagnie and Jackson are ensconced in crowded wing rotations, and Walker's usage by Philadelphia could plunge if its frontline is ever kinda-sorta healthy."
Those possibilities come as some around the league think Cleveland took a step back this offseason. Dean Wade left for the Philadelphia 76ers, Keon Ellis signed with the Brooklyn Nets, Larry Nance Jr. went to the Indiana Pacers and LeBron James chose the 76ers instead of returning home.
Even with those departures, the Cavaliers still made a run last season, beating the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to get to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 without LeBron on the roster. Their postseason ended there, though, as the New York Knicks - the 2026 champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs - swept Cleveland in the conference finals.
One of the clearest additions for the Cavaliers this summer was Watson, who filled a need on the wing after LeBron left for Philadelphia and Wade departed for the 76ers. Watson is coming off a strong year with the Nuggets, where he 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 rewarded him with a four-year, $88 million deal that includes a player option and a trade kicker.
The other major move was keeping Donovan Mitchell, who signed a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension. Since arriving from the Utah Jazz in 2022, Mitchell has averaged 26.7 points in the regular season and 27.3 points in the playoffs for Cleveland.
Now the Cavaliers are set to open the season against LeBron and the 76ers in Philadelphia, a matchup that should bring plenty of noise.
The bigger question is how far Cleveland can go with a core of Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen. That answer is coming soon.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Still Have A Rival Problem They Thought Was Behind Them
The Cavaliers have already had one reminder this season that old problems do not disappear just because the roster looks better. They took a step forward by beating the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs, only to lose the series anyway, a frustrating outcome that exposed how much more work still has to be done before Cleveland can call itself secure against the teams it expects to handle.
There was at least an encouraging response in the season opener, when the Cavs rallied past the Boston Celtics with a comeback win that hinted at real progress. Even so, the bigger picture remains complicated, with Cleveland still sorting through who it can trust and how much growth is left in the current core before the team can feel comfortable that those familiar threats are truly behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Opener Could Hinge On One Newcomer Against Philadelphia
As the Cavaliers get ready to open the 2026-27 season against Philadelphia, much of the attention naturally falls on how Cleveland will handle a matchup that can stretch a defense from edge to edge. Peyton Watson is one of the new pieces in that conversation, and his appeal is obvious enough: he can guard multiple spots, bring length to the perimeter and give Cleveland another option when the game starts getting uncomfortable on the wing.
The real question is whether Watson can do more than just absorb tough defensive assignments in a season opener that already looks like a serious early test. Cleveland will need him to chip in offensively alongside Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, because the Cavaliers may not get much margin for error against a Philadelphia group that can punish mistakes on both ends. How quickly Watson fits into that balance could tell a lot about how far Cleveland can go from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Already Have A Playoff Problem Brewing In The East
The opening nights of the NBA season already offered a reminder that the East may be even more unforgiving this time around. Philadelphia opened with a win over New York after reshaping its roster around LeBron James, Toronto handled Chicago with a new-look group that includes Kawhi Leonard again, and Detroits comeback against Boston added another early wrinkle to a conference that feels loaded from top to bottom.
For Cleveland, the bigger concern is how quickly those shifts could affect its own path through the bracket. The Cavaliers have already been pointed toward a tougher road against the teams around them, and the early returns only sharpen that sense of urgency, especially with familiar East rivals making significant offseason moves and beginning to look like the kinds of clubs that can alter the playoff picture before the calendar has even settled in. [Read more 🡒]