Austin Carr’s name was the one that didn’t show up.
When the Cavaliers unveiled their new broadcast setup Tuesday, the organization laid out the voices that will be part of the move to DAZN: play-by-play announcer John Michael, analyst Brad Daugherty, sideline reporter Serena Winters and pre- and postgame host Cayleigh Griffin. Carr, long one of the most familiar figures in franchise history, was not included.
That omission stood out immediately.
Carr, 78, has been a constant on Cavs broadcasts for decades, and younger fans have known him simply as AC. Older ones have known him as Mr.
Cavalier. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft, played nine seasons in Cleveland and remains part of the organization today as its Director of Community Relations.
His broadcast future had already been uncertain after FanDuel Sports Network Ohio shut down following last season. In April, during the final postgame show, Carr took time to thank the fans.
“First of all, I really want to thank the fans of Cleveland,” Carr said. “You really have stuck with us, stayed behind us, the whole way - good or bad. And that to me is really what it’s all about, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
At that point, the destination for Cavs games wasn’t known. Now it is.
The team announced a multi-year agreement with DAZN that will move most local games off traditional cable and onto the streaming service, with subscriptions starting at $19.99 per month. Rock Entertainment Sports Network will handle production.
Along with the new platform came a list of the familiar on-air names making the transition. Carr was not one of them, and that’s the part that carries the most weight for anyone who has followed the Cavs for any length of time.
His absence doesn’t amount to a formal goodbye. The team did not say Tuesday that his broadcast career is finished, and his work with the organization extends beyond television.
Still, when the Cavs introduced the new broadcast home and named the people coming with it, the omission of Mr. Cavalier was impossible to miss.
The old Joe Tait line still fits. After interviewing Carr once, Tait joked that if they were going to do interviews, Carr needed to actually talk.
“He hasn’t shut up since,” Tait later joked. And Cavs fans have been listening ever since.
In Other News...
Draymond Green Zeroed In On One Costly Part Of Cavs Trade
The Cavaliers made one of their most notable offseason moves by landing forward Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets, parting with Max Strus and future draft capital to get it done. Cleveland then locked Watson in on a four-year, $88 million extension, a clear signal that it sees him as more than just a depth piece and plans to plug him in as a starting small forward alongside its core.
Draymond Green picked up on the other side of the transaction, calling attention to the value Denver extracted in the form of an unprotected 2031 first-round pick. For Cleveland, that kind of deal always comes with a balancing act: get the player you believe can help now, while giving up enough future control that the full price tag will linger long after the initial excitement fades. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Quietly Solved Two Roster Problems With One Signing
The Cavaliers have added another layer to their roster by bringing in Ousmane Diop, a 2022 second-round pick who has spent the past few years developing overseas with Baskonia in Spain. The move gives Cleveland a frontcourt body it can stash on a minimum-salary deal, and it fits the team's habit of finding practical solutions without making a lot of noise.
What makes the signing more interesting is how neatly it lines up with the cap picture the Cavaliers have been working through ahead of James Harden's new contract. Diop's deal runs four years, with a fully guaranteed salary for the 2026/27 season, so Cleveland gets some immediate depth and a longer-term financial piece in one transaction. It is the kind of understated roster move that can matter later, even if it barely registers on the surface now. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Land On ESPN Rivalry List For A Very Unusual Reason
The Cavaliers have landed on ESPNs list of NBA rivalries to watch this season, though this one is built less on what happens on the floor than on who sits in the owners box. Clevelands connection to Phoenix traces to the business competition between Dan Gilbert and Mat Ishbia, two wealthy owners whose mortgage-company backgrounds overlap in Michigan and have turned a league relationship into something more pointed.
It is an unusual kind of rivalry, especially for fans used to measuring grudges by playoff series and physical matchups. Cleveland and Phoenix have not made trades since Ishbia took over the Suns, and while the tension is expected to linger, it remains the sort of storyline that lives above the basketball rather than inside it. [Read more 🡒]