The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a 52-win season, but Bleacher Report expects a step back this year. Its projection has Cleveland finishing 49-33, a three-win dip from last season’s 52-30 mark.
Even with that prediction, the Cavaliers still bring back a strong spine. Cleveland will open with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the starting five, with newcomer Mario Hezonja coming off the bench.
The offseason brought real change around the roster. Dean Wade left for the Philadelphia 76ers, Keon Ellis signed with the Brooklyn Nets, Larry Nance Jr. joined the Indiana Pacers and franchise icon LeBron James headed to Philadelphia instead of returning home.
Watson looks like one of the most important additions. Cleveland needed a small forward after LeBron left for the 76ers and Wade departed, and Watson fills that spot after a strong season with the Denver Nuggets.
He averaged 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% from the free-throw line. The Cavaliers gave him a four-year, $88 million contract that includes a player option and a trade kicker.
Mitchell, meanwhile, remains the centerpiece of the offense and the biggest investment Cleveland made this summer was locking him in with a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension. Since arriving from the Utah Jazz in 2022, Mitchell has averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 points per game in the playoffs in a Cavaliers uniform.
Cleveland did make a real postseason push last year. The Cavaliers got past the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 without LeBron on the roster. Their run ended there, though, when the New York Knicks - the 2026 champions after beating the San Antonio Spurs - swept them.
The new season starts with a heavyweight opening night: Cleveland travels to Philadelphia to face LeBron and the 76ers. That matchup will draw plenty of attention.
The question hanging over this group is simple enough: can Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen turn this roster into a championship team? That answer is coming soon.
In Other News...
Jarrett Allen Just Put Clevelands Biggest Lineup Question In Focus
Jarrett Allens remarks this week landed in a familiar place for the Cavaliers, where the conversation has long circled back to lineup continuity and how much time the core actually gets to work together. Allen said he and several key teammates barely shared the floor last season, a reality that made it harder for Cleveland to build the kind of rhythm it wants heading into another push in the East.
The encouraging part for the Cavs is that Allen sounded confident the group can be sharper with a steadier run together this year, especially if the roster gets the kind of uninterrupted stretch it lacked before. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to answer how its best pieces fit in high-leverage moments, that kind of continuity may end up mattering as much as anything else. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylon Tyson Is Forcing A New Coaching Challenge For The Cavs
Jaylon Tyson has made enough of an impression in Cleveland that Kenny Atkinson is already having to manage more than just his on-court development. Entering his third NBA season, Tyson has flashed real upside, including a 39-point game and a Rising Stars appearance, and the Cavaliers are still sorting through the best way to mold that potential into a lasting rotation piece.
The coaching challenge now is less about talent than tone. Atkinson said Tyson responds best to positive coaching, which is a useful note for a young player trying to carve out his place on a veteran-minded team, especially with Cleveland holding a team option on him for the 2027-28 season that must be decided by Oct. 31. For a player still trying to secure his long-term standing, the next stretch could say a lot about how the Cavs plan to handle him moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Jarrett Allen Just Gave Cavs Fans Another Reason To Love Him
Jarrett Allen has long fit Clevelands vibe, and his latest appearance only reinforced it. On a Sunday before the Browns hosted the Ravens, Allen was out in the Muni Lot playing beer die with fans at a tailgate event, a relaxed bit of hometown mixing that always seems to land well with the citys sports crowd. It also came at a time when the big man is settling into his sixth full season with the Cavaliers, with his status as one of the teams more recognizable faces only growing over time.
For Cavs fans, the timing makes the moment even more notable. Cleveland is closing in on its regular-season opener against the 76ers, and Allen has already been part of recent preseason action as the team gets ready to start the year. The connection with the city has never really felt forced, and scenes like this are part of why he continues to be such an easy player for the fan base to embrace. [Read more 🡒]