The Cavaliers have checked off most of their offseason work, but one obvious problem still sits on the roster: they don’t have a real point guard.
Cleveland’s big swing was supposed to bring LeBron James back home, and that didn’t happen. Even so, the front office did get work done, adding Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja while clearing salary by moving Max Strus, Dean Wade, Dennis Schroder, Cam Whitmore, and Tre Mann.
So the Cavs head toward training camp and preseason in decent shape overall. Kenny Atkinson now gets to focus on the usual early-season stuff - cleaning up the details, shaking off the rust, and figuring out roles.
But the wing issue is only part of the picture. There’s a fresh concern now, and it’s a bigger one: who actually runs the offense?
Since Cleveland traded All-Star point guard Darius Garland to the Clippers in early February for James Harden, the team has been without a true floor general. Schroder arrived later, but he was always more of a bench piece than a full-time answer.
Over time, Schroder’s role shrank even further. By the end of his Cleveland stint, he had turned into more of a five-to-10-minute cameo player than a steady rotation option.
Letting him go this offseason made sense financially, especially with the salary load already weighing on the roster. Moving on from Mann was expected too. The problem is that both departures left the Cavaliers without a recognized point guard.
That pushes the job onto Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, with Mitchell carrying most of the load. It’s a spot Mitchell has handled before, but it’s not the one he was built for.
His career average sits at 4.8 assists per game, and that number rose to 5.7 last season. In the playoffs, though, it drops to 4.4, and his postseason assist totals in Cleveland have gone down year by year, from 7.2 to 3.1 last season.
That slide doesn’t come from Mitchell refusing to pass. If anything, the opposite is true. Last season’s drop may have had something to do with sharing the floor with a ball-dominant player like James Harden.
Even so, the numbers point to the same issue: Mitchell can create, but he’s not a natural conductor. He’ll get teammates involved, and he is a selfless player.
But when games tighten up and the pressure ramps up, he can slip into hero-ball mode. That usually comes from desperation or a heat check, not from a lack of trust.
There’s a real difference between a good passer and a true table-setter. Mitchell isn’t the kind of guard who naturally controls pace, organizes every possession, and dictates the flow of an offense. A lot of his assists come as a byproduct of the scoring attention he draws, not because he’s constantly manufacturing easy looks for others.
He’ll still produce. That’s not the question. The question is whether he’s the right guy to have pulling the strings.
The same basic issue applies to Harden. He can hand out assists, but he’s a score-first player at heart. In that sense, Harden and Mitchell are almost mirrors of one another offensively.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Just Sent Another Clear Message About Rocket Arenas Future
The Cavaliers have added another piece to their growing footprint around downtown Cleveland, buying a former bar at 721 Bolivar Road in the Gateway District for $1 million. The property sits in an area that has become increasingly important to the teams long-term planning, especially as Rocket Arena and the surrounding blocks continue to draw attention beyond game nights.
The purchase also fits a broader pattern around the district, where nearby property moves by the Guardians have helped signal how much value teams now place on controlling the land around their venues. After a season that kept the Cavaliers in the conversation and with the next one on the horizon, the latest acquisition only adds to the sense that the organization is thinking well beyond the court and into what comes next for the building and its neighborhood. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Added A Wild Card For Their Crowded Bench Rotation
The Cavaliers have added another name to an already crowded bench picture, signing Mario Hezonja to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract as training camp competition starts to take shape. It is the kind of low-risk move that gives Cleveland another experienced option to sort through while the team tries to settle the back end of its rotation, and Hezonja will have a chance to earn a spot if he can prove he belongs.
For a team that has spent the offseason balancing depth, fit and flexibility, the signing fits the broader search for help around the edges of the roster. The Cavaliers are not handing out a guaranteed role, but they are giving themselves another look at a player who could make the bench conversation more complicated if he finds his footing quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Last Roster Spot Suddenly Carries More Weight Than Expected
With training camp drawing closer, the Cavaliers last few roster decisions have taken on more importance than a typical end-of-summer cleanup. Cleveland waived forward Cam Whitmore and now has two guaranteed contracts left to hand out, all while working with limited salary cap space and trying to strengthen the frontcourt depth behind its core.
One option under consideration is Saliou Niang, a 2025 second-round pick whose rights the Cavaliers control. Niang has spent time playing overseas and is also tied up with LSU and international competition, which adds another layer to a front office already sorting through timing, availability and fit. For a team still looking to add size before camp opens, the final move may end up being less about filling a seat and more about finding the right kind of big man at the right moment. [Read more 🡒]