The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent the last two offseasons trying to plug holes, and this summer looks no different. With the 2026-27 season approaching and the team chasing a championship after its playoff run ended in a disappointing series against the New York Knicks, Cleveland has been working to reshape the roster while the Eastern Conference has made plenty of noise around it.
The Cavs’ own summer began quietly, but that changed when they landed Peyton Watson in a recent trade. That move gave Cleveland the wing help it had been waiting on, and it also capped off a deal the team had been circling for a while. Around that, the roster kept taking shape through a mix of retention and fresh additions.
Donovan Mitchell’s future was settled when the star guard signed a four-year extension, and Cleveland also kept Craig Porter Jr. by exercising its team option on him. Thomas Bryant came back later as well.
Then came the backcourt piece the Cavs had been working toward: James Harden opted out of his deal, and after the Watson trade, he signed a three-year, $97 million contract. That sets up Cleveland’s backcourt for its first full season together.
The front office also added a few new faces through the draft and the margins. Cleveland selected Meleek Thomas in the second round, and he quickly drew attention with his Summer League play.
The Cavaliers also signed Ernest Udeh Jr. to a two-way contract after he went undrafted, and he flashed his rim-protecting skills in Las Vegas. Another newcomer was Mario Hezonja, a former lottery pick who built his reputation overseas and now gets another NBA opportunity after being drafted by the Orlando Magic and later spending three seasons there before stops with the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Cleveland has also had to keep up with movement elsewhere on the roster. Backup point guard Dennis Schröder is headed to the Charlotte Hornets, while Tre Mann is coming back in return, tied to the Watson deal.
If this offseason has felt slow, that’s because the Cavs’ recent summers have often been more about targeted fixes than splashy overhauls. In 2025, they re-signed Sam Merrill to a four-year, $38 million deal, brought back Luke Travers on a two-way contract before later waiving him, and added two bigs in Bryant and Larry Nance Jr. Cleveland also drafted Tyrese Proctor, who averaged 5.4 points in 50 games.
That same offseason brought a trade involving Isaac Okoro, who was sent to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball. Ball was later traded to the Utah Jazz and waived.
Across those two offseasons, the pattern has been clear: Cleveland has tried to patch specific gaps, with mixed results. Bryant helped as a backup big, Ball filled in at backup point guard during his time there, and now Watson gives the Cavaliers help on the wing. The summer has moved slowly, but Cleveland has at least taken a step in the right direction.
In Other News...
Cavs Just Made A Costly Wing Bet For Their Playoff Push
Cleveland made a significant swing on the wing as part of a three-team deal with Denver and the Clippers, reshuffling the roster in a move clearly aimed at the playoff push. The Cavaliers are bringing in a young, versatile piece in Peyton Watson on a four-year, $88 million contract, while Max Strus is headed to Los Angeles in the same transaction.
The price tag, though, is the part that will linger. To complete the deal, Cleveland gave up a future first-round pick that is unprotected, a steep cost for a team trying to balance immediate contention with long-term flexibility. For a roster built to win now, it is the kind of move that can look bold in April and a lot more complicated if the playoff run does not go the way the Cavs hope. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Just Got Pulled Into A Move With Bigger NBA Stakes
A five-team deal this week sent Peyton Watson from Denver to Cleveland, adding another layer to a transaction that already moved multiple draft picks and player pieces around the league. For the Cavaliers, the headline is the arrival of a young forward with a chance to fit into a new look rotation, but the ripple effect reaches well beyond Cleveland as rival front offices keep adjusting to what the trade changed.
Denvers next move is what makes this especially interesting from a Cavs perspective. The Nuggets are now being linked to free agent DeMar DeRozan, who was recently waived by Sacramento, and a possible signing would give Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray another proven scorer to lean on. Cleveland may have come out of the trade with Watson, but the wider stakes keep climbing as the Nuggets look to answer right away. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Have Caught A Break In Denvers Growing Contract Mess
The Cavaliers may have found a timely opening in Denvers contract situation, as Peyton Watson has moved on after the Nuggets reportedly were unwilling to meet his asking price. For Cleveland, it is the kind of roster development that can come from patience and a little friction elsewhere, especially when a team with championship expectations starts feeling the squeeze of its own payroll decisions.
Christian Brauns long-term deal is part of the backdrop here, and the criticism around that contract has only sharpened the pressure on Denvers front office. With four years still left after this season, the Nuggets have less room to maneuver than they would like, and Watsons departure serves as another reminder that even good teams can find themselves boxed in when the numbers stop lining up. [Read more 🡒]