After getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, many in the NBA community pointed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as the most interesting team of the offseason. This is because of the wide-range of possibilities they had, from going even more all-in to trading away their stars to going back into rebuild mode.
The Cavs were also a very active team at the trade deadline, checking in on multiple star players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. They even checked in on Kevin Durant last summer.
Cleveland could look very different come opening night next season, but it looks like for the most part, they have decided on the offseason path they are going to take.
The Cavs are going to run it back with their core group
This includes bringing back head coach Kenny Atkinson, and keeping Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, James Harden, and Jarrett Allen. According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, all five figure to be back for Cleveland next season.
President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman indicated this during his end of season press conference as well.
The Cavs taking this path is not the worst thing in the world. Their core group showed that they can play together and be dominant. However, it showed that they were still getting used to playing with each other and figuring out how to maximize their abilities.
Keeping Mobley especially is important for Cleveland, given the potential he showed this playoffs and the fact that he is only 24 years old with an All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Trading him away for an aging superstar would have set the Cavs back even more.
As for what Cleveland needs to add, they are a team desperate for more athleticism and versatility on the wing. A complete retool of their supporting cast seems to be in order, given their status as a second-apron team and the fact that the core is going to be intact.
The best teams in the league have multiple options on the wings and this Cavs roster does not have that outside of Jaylon Tyson, who is still developing and has shown flashes. We have not seen Cleveland with high-level wings in a while, so if they are going to run it back with the core they have, then that needs to change.
Blowing up a team that just reached a Conference Finals would be an overreactionary move. The Cavs have not been able to get to that point in previous years, but they did this season. Building on that and upgrading the depth should be their priorities this summer.
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