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28/09/2026

Ben Golliver of ESPN explains why Donovan Mitchell’s No. 10 ranking drew pushback, highlighting his All-NBA honors, MVP voting, production and role in Cleveland’s run to the conference finals.

"Mitchell's inclusion at No. 10 seemed to receive more pushback online than any of the other rankings for the NBA's top-tier stars. But why? Mitchell was selected to the All-NBA second team, he finished seventh in MVP voting, and he was one of only six players to average at least 27 points, four rebounds and five assists per game while appearing in at least 60 games last season. What's more, Mitchell's career reached a new peak when he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to his first conference finals appearance. Cleveland was one of only nine teams to win 50 games last season, and Mitchell was the steadying presence with Jarrett Allen battling injuries and Darius Garland traded for Harden during the season."

28/09/2026

Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com reveals the Cavaliers are quietly thrilled with Meleek Thomas, saying the rookie is showing the same offensive firepower in workouts.

"The coaching staff is quietly ecstatic about rookie guard Meleek Thomas, who averaged 27 points in the summer league. The Cavs are seeing the same offensive firepower from Thomas in workouts with the team’s veterans."

27/09/2026

Kenny Atkinson reveals why he expects Mario Hezonja to surprise people, praising the Cavaliers forward’s experience and believing Cleveland acquired him at the perfect time in his career.

“I’ve heard how [Mario Hezonja] has played these last five years. I think he’s going to surprise some people. I’m excited," Atkinson said. “You always want that, where is there gonna be an outside spark from somewhere. I love that we took a different path to obtain a player with the experience and credibility he has. And I think to get the player at the right time in his career. Sometimes it’s about, obviously, a tremendously talented player, but when you get that person in their career at the right time.”

(via Eurohoops.net)

27/09/2026

Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com reveals Kenny Atkinson’s biggest challenge with the Cavaliers, saying finding the right 10-man rotation could be more important than determining the starting lineup.

"Koby Altman and Atkinson have repeatedly talked about refinement rather than reconstruction. It retained the core, re-signed Harden, brought in Watson and made a series of difficult decisions elsewhere. But refinement only works if the pieces being refined actually improve. The most important competition may not be for the starting lineup at all. It may be for the ninth, 10th and final meaningful spots in the playoff rotation, where the difference between having depth and actually being able to use it becomes enormous. For Cleveland, that is where the season begins to tell its real story."

26/09/2026

Koby Altman clarified that the Cavaliers' pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown was not necessarily about convincing LeBron James to choose Cleveland, noting that either move would have come at a significant cost to the team's future.

“I think the misconception is if we do something that means [LeBron James] comes back. That’s a misconception. Like I said before, we have a lot of confidence and faith in the talent that we have in house. You don’t fluke your way to Eastern Conference Finals. We explore everything, as you know. We’re a very active franchise. We explore different things, different prices, different price points, and to go out and get that caliber of player, you’re giving up a lot. Is that the best thing for the team and the best thing for our future? Not going too deep into that question in terms of specifics, but both would have taken a toll if we were to go down that path."

(via Mason Horodyski on X)

26/09/2026

Kenny Atkinson praised James Harden's unselfishness and leadership, saying the Cavaliers star is focused solely on winning and has backed that up throughout the offseason.

“I think the first word that comes to my mind is unselfish. [James Harden's] at this great point in his career. He just wants to win. There really is nothing outside of that. There’s nothing outside of that lane. If I grade it, I could just give it an A-plus since he’s been here. We know what a great player he is, but the leadership part about it, it’s kind of blown me away. He’s a big reason we went to the Eastern Conference finals last year, but he wants more and he’s backed it up all offseason."

(via Cleveland.com)

25/09/2026

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report gives the Cavaliers a B+ offseason grade, saying Cleveland is going all-in with Peyton Watson, Donovan Mitchell, and James Harden to take the final steps toward contention.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games two years ago and reached the Conference Finals last season, so they were justified in boldly pursuing a player who might be the last piece of the puzzle. Peyton Watson may be overvalued on the basis of six hot weeks last season, but he's still the ideal theoretical fifth starter for the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell got a colossal four-year, $273 million extension. The Cavs gave James Harden three more years and $97 million guaranteed. When you're as close to the mountaintop as Cleveland seems to be, you spend and trade what it takes to climb those last few feet."

25/09/2026

Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com explains why Jaylon Tyson must channel his fiery competitiveness into controlled, disciplined play to earn Kenny Atkinson’s trust and become an indispensable part of the Cavaliers’ rotation.

"The challenge is to take everything that made [Jaylon] Tyson so frustrating to coach last spring — the mistakes, the emotion, the competitiveness, the occasional overaggression — and turn it into something Atkinson can trust. The fire that burned so hot last postseason doesn’t need to disappear. It needs to be controlled. That may be the difference between Tyson being a promising young player on Cleveland’s bench and becoming one of the players Atkinson cannot afford to leave there."

24/09/2026

Bill Simmons reveals he believes LeBron James was headed to the Cavaliers before something changed, saying he can’t wait to learn what ultimately led him to Philadelphia.

"As it was the decision he thought he could make to try to win the title. I don't think there's any other reason he went there. It's not like, 'Oh, I've always wanted to play for the Sixers.' Listen, he was going to Cleveland. I don’t know what happened. I can’t wait for the story. Something happened."

(via The Bill Simmons Podcast)

23/09/2026

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report highlights the Cavaliers’ difficult salary-cap situation, saying their long-term commitments could leave Cleveland with limited flexibility if the team falls short.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers will pay Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley a combined $133 million in 2029-30. The franchise is committed to its roster, with James Harden, Jarrett Allen, and Peyton Watson. Depth is marginal; Cleveland is just under its first apron hard cap, and flexibility won't open for several years. If the team falls short, its path to improvement may come only through trading away its top-five players."

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