The Cavaliers have climbed one step higher each spring for four years. In 2023 they fell in the first round, in 2024 and 2025 in the semifinals, and in 2026 they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since LeBron James left. They faced the Knicks, who swept them decisively. Cleveland's offseason has centered on one idea: keep the core and add what was missing in May.
Where They're Coming From: Three Series, All From Behind
The 2025-26 season changed direction in February when Cleveland traded Darius Garland to the Clippers for James Harden. With him, the Cavs finished 52-30, fourth in the East, and in the playoffs they strung together two seven-game series. They eliminated Toronto with a Game 7 performance from Jarrett Allen, who posted 22 points and 19 rebounds. They then knocked out Detroit, the top seed in the East, winning Game 7 convincingly at home.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the first game set the tone for the rest. The Cavs led 93-71 at Madison Square Garden and lost 115-104 in overtime. New York never gave them another chance and closed out the series 4-0 in Cleveland.
According to NBA.com, the Cavaliers trailed by ten or more points in 12 of their 18 playoff games. No team won more games than they did after falling behind by ten, with 21 such victories between the regular season and playoffs. But that comeback ability masks a problem: they weren't performing in the first halves.
The Offseason: The Starting Five, Locked In
General manager Koby Altman's front office moved on two fronts. The first was securing the stars. Donovan Mitchell signed a four-year, $273 million extension. Harden renewed for three seasons and $97 million, with a player option in the final year, and according to ESPN helped convince Peyton Watson to choose Ohio.
The second front was Watson himself, the best restricted free agent on the market. He arrived in a five-team trade for $88 million over four years, following a chain operation that sent Dennis Schröder and Max Strus out of Cleveland. He averaged 14.6 points with the Nuggets, and in his 40 games as a starter he increased to 17.3 points with 43% from three-point range.
The price was depth. In addition to Schröder and Strus, Dean Wade, Keon Ellis, and Larry Nance Jr. departed. To compensate, Meleek Thomas arrived from the draft, along with two players with recent Liga Endesa experience.
The ACB Accent: Hezonja and Diop
Mario Hezonja returns to the NBA six years later, after closing his Real Madrid chapter as Liga Endesa MVP, averaging 17.5 points. He was also the leading scorer at the Athens Final Four, with 44 points in two games. His departure had drama surrounding an NBA clause that had expired before an offer came. He ultimately signed for one year and $2.8 million, which will only be guaranteed if he remains on the roster after November 15. His first month of competition will be his test.
Khalifa Diop, selected by the Cavs with the 39th pick in the 2022 draft, finally makes the jump after developing in Gran Canaria and spending three seasons with Baskonia. He signs a four-year deal for $9.26 million, with the first year guaranteed. His role will be as a backup center behind Allen and Thomas Bryant.
The Rotation
The starting five is the most complete of the Mitchell era. Mitchell averaged 27.9 points and 5.7 assists in 70 games, and in his 26 games with Cleveland, Harden contributed 20.5 points and 7.7 assists with 43.5% from three-point range. Watson fills the small forward spot. In the paint, Evan Mobley continues with 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks, and Allen with 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds on 63.8% shooting.
From the bench, head coach Kenny Atkinson will have Jaylon Tyson, who averaged 13.2 points, Hezonja as a scoring wing, and Bryant and Diop in the paint.
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The Season's Big Questions
The first is Harden. He's 37 years old and showed wear in the spring: in the playoffs he dropped to 19.2 points on 29.9% from three. This time he'll have a full training camp with the team, something he didn't have last season arriving in February, and with Watson by his side he won't need to carry as much of the load. Still, his physical condition in May will determine the team's ceiling.
The second is the bench. Cleveland lost five rotation players and is betting almost everything on Tyson, Hezonja's adjustment, and young players still developing. If the second units don't hold up, the starting five will have to play too many minutes.
The third is about first halves. A team that comes back so often also falls behind very frequently. In the Eastern Conference Finals, that habit came at a steep price.
The Schedule: Key Dates
The Cavs open the season in Philadelphia against the Sixers with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. On November 6, LeBron returns to Cleveland for the first time in another uniform, in a game that also counts for the NBA Cup. The next day the Knicks arrive, who hadn't set foot in Cleveland since the sweep. On December 31, Darius Garland returns with the Clippers.
In January come the two playoff rematches: in Detroit on the 18th, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and in Toronto on the 29th, against a Raptors team that has recovered Kawhi Leonard.
Piratas' Prediction
The Cavaliers have a starting five capable of beating anyone in the East and, for the first time, an entire offseason to make it work. The East, though, has gotten much tougher: the champion Sixers with LeBron, the Pistons, and Miami with Giannis. Our prediction: between 51 and 55 wins, a top-three finish in the East, and another conference finals appearance as a realistic goal. To get past that, Harden needs to arrive intact in May.