James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are heading into a full season together, and that’s the kind of runway Cleveland has been waiting for. Harden joined midway through last year and immediately gave Mitchell another guard who can generate quality offense when possessions bog down. Mitchell, for his part, makes life harder on defenses trying to key in on Harden.
That pairing has the chance to become one of the league’s better backcourts, according to Zach Weiss of Cavs On SI, who points to Harden’s passing and Mitchell’s postseason scoring as the ingredients that could push Cleveland forward. The bigger question is what happens once the games tighten and opponents force both guards to earn everything. The Cavaliers had trouble finding enough offense against the Knicks in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, and that remains the test.
A full training camp together should help. Peyton Watson also gives them another wing option. But when the pressure spikes, Cleveland is still going to lean on Harden and Mitchell to break the game open.
Denver, meanwhile, will have some explaining to do when media day arrives, starting with the decision to send Peyton Watson to Cleveland. The Nuggets got an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-rounder in the sign-and-trade, but Logan Struck of Nuggets On SI expects questions about parting with a 23-year-old wing coming off a breakout season.
There are other issues waiting for the Nuggets, too. Aaron Gordon’s hamstring problems limited him to 36 games last season, and he sat out half of Denver’s six playoff games.
Nikola Jokic’s contract situation is also on the agenda after he passed on an extension and said he plans to sign next summer and stay in Denver for the rest of his career. That should calm some nerves, but the Nuggets still have to prove they can keep building a title-level roster around him.
Atlanta has its own issues, even after finding a new path following the Trae Young trade. Jalen Johnson stepped forward, the team surged after the All-Star break and the Hawks got back to the playoffs.
The frontcourt, though, still looks unsettled. Henri Veesaar tore his ACL after the draft, and Kahlil McCuller of Hawks On SI believes Atlanta should have done more to shore up its center depth. That’s his view, not a sign the Hawks have already soured on the offseason, and they may prefer to see what they have before making another move.
Even so, the concern is easy to understand. The Knicks controlled the final three games of Atlanta’s first-round series, and the Eastern Conference appears tougher now. The Hawks are banking on internal growth, but they may also need more size once the games start to matter.
In Other News...
Meleek Thomas Is Forcing A Cavaliers Camp Battle Already
Meleek Thomas spent Summer League making a convincing case that the Cavaliers may already have a real backcourt decision on their hands. The rookie guard was handled as a lead guard throughout the event and looked comfortable in that role, pairing aggressive scoring with the kind of playmaking Cleveland wanted to see from a young ball-handler. His production stood out immediately, and so did the efficiency behind it.
For a team heading into training camp with preseason minutes up for grabs, Thomas has already added some heat to the competition. The Cavaliers will get a longer look at how his shot creation and passing translate against NBA-level rotations, and that will matter as they sort out who can earn time behind their established pieces. If Summer League was the opening argument, camp and preseason should tell us how seriously Thomas can force the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Added Young Frontcourt Depth With One Real Opportunity Ahead
The Cavaliers were among the teams making quiet additions as NBA clubs filled out training camp rosters for the 2026-27 season, adding another young frontcourt body to the mix. It is the kind of move that rarely draws much attention outside the building, but these contracts can matter for a team trying to keep its developmental pipeline active while sorting out which prospects deserve a longer look.
Around the league, several undrafted free agents have landed similar chances, with the Spurs bringing in Miles Barnstable and the Nuggets signing Boopie Miller, while other players are angling for opportunities with NBA teams or their G League affiliates after finishing college. For Cleveland, the immediate question is less about the headline and more about who can make the most of one real opening in camp and turn a low-profile invitation into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Mitchell Just Sent The Cavs A Clear Message
At Cavaliers media day, Donovan Mitchell sounded very much like a player settled in for the long haul. Fresh off his four-year contract extension, the star guard framed the deal as a statement about his commitment to Cleveland and to the city, while also touching on the broader NBA picture around him, including LeBron James heading to Philadelphia and the Cavs addition of Peyton Watson.
Mitchell also pointed to the value of having James Harden through a full training camp, a detail that speaks to how much this group is trying to use every available rep to sharpen its identity. The message from Mitchell was less about looking back and more about what comes next, with Cleveland focused on moving forward and building chemistry before the season begins. [Read more 🡒]