The Cavaliers have spent four years building around Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and there’s real value in that kind of continuity. In a league that often tears things down before they ever have a chance to mature, Cleveland has at least given its core time to grow together. That matters.
The problem is that patience has a deadline.
Mitchell, Mobley and Allen have all reached All-Star level at some point, and the group has reached the playoffs every season they’ve been together. This past year brought their best finish, but it also ended with a brutal sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s the kind of outcome that forces a team to ask a harder question: is this group actually good enough to win it all?
Mitchell still gives the Cavs the kind of star power every team wants. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best shot-creators in the NBA, and when the postseason arrives, he usually raises his level and carries more of the load.
Mobley brings the defensive backbone. He’s already got a Defensive Player of the Year award and multiple All-Defensive Team selections, and he’s still only 25.
Allen, meanwhile, remains one of the league’s more underrated role players, the kind who makes Cleveland better on both ends whenever he’s on the floor.
That’s why the idea of keeping this group together makes sense. Teams are constantly chasing the next reset, the next roster shuffle, the next quick fix.
But that cycle doesn’t guarantee anything. The Knicks kept their core together.
The Thunder are doing the same. There’s real value in letting a group build toward something over time.
Still, every front office eventually has to face the possibility that the answer is no. The Cavaliers may be getting close to that point, where they have to decide whether Mitchell, Mobley and Allen - even with Harden in the mix - can truly be the top three of a championship team.
Maybe that moment isn’t here yet. But if the Cavs keep coming up short, it will be. And when it does, they’ll have to be honest about it.
In Other News...
Cavaliers May Already Have Their Best Answer For A Thin Frontcourt
The Cavaliers still have an open 14th roster spot, and with cap space tight, the frontcourt is one area that keeps standing out as a practical need. Cleveland has already added wing help in Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja and drafted Meleek Thomas, but behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the team could still use a low-cost big who can soak up minutes and give the rotation some insurance.
Olivier Sarr fits that search as well as anyone on the current list of possibilities. The 6-foot-10 center has previous two-way experience with Cleveland, and his combination of size and G League production makes him a logical candidate if the Cavaliers decide to use that final opening on a true interior presence rather than another developmental flier. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have One Important Backcourt Job Up For Grabs
The Cavaliers have spent much of the Donovan Mitchell era searching for a reliable backup point guard, and the list of names who have cycled through that spot shows how unsettled it has been. Ty Jerome, Ricky Rubio, Raul Neto, Craig Porter Jr., Lonzo Ball and Dennis Schroder have all taken a turn trying to stabilize the second unit, but Cleveland still heads into the season with that reserve backcourt role very much open.
Now the attention shifts to a younger crop, with the Cavaliers using draft capital on Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas and setting up a training camp battle that should be worth watching. Proctor, Thomas and Porter are expected to compete for minutes behind Mitchell, and coach Kenny Atkinson will be looking for a guard who can bring both consistency and versatility to a bench that has not yet found a settled answer. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have A Late Offseason Question Worth Watching
The NBAs offseason shake-up has already changed the leagues balance, and Cleveland is still watching the board with plenty of other teams. Even with the biggest dominoes falling elsewhere, there are roster spots around the league that remain open, and front offices are expected to keep tinkering before the 2026-27 season tips off on Oct. 20. For the Cavaliers, that kind of late-summer movement can matter, especially when the margins in the East are so thin.
What makes this stretch worth following is how many situations are still unresolved. Some players are widely expected to stay put, while others are lingering on unsigned deals or non-guaranteed contracts, leaving clubs room to change course if the right option appears. Cleveland does not need a splash to keep its eyes on this market, but one more quiet addition or a surprise decision elsewhere could still shape the final look of the roster. [Read more 🡒]