CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are leaving the front office in place and bringing back coach Kenny Atkinson, which leaves any major changes this offseason to the most expensive roster in the NBA.
The Cavs built a great deal of good will in crushing the Detroit Pistons on the road in Game 7 of the second round, but lost most if not all of it when they were in turn demolished by the New York Knicks in an Eastern Conference Finals sweep.
It doesn’t diminish the accomplishment of advancing to the Conference Finals without LeBron James for the first time since 1992. It does open the door to a massive number of questions as to how the Cavs might reshape the roster heading into next season.
In the span of a couple weeks, the urgency to make more substantial moves might have received a supercharged boost as Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks celebrated at Rocket Arena.
Here are the five major question marks facing the Cavaliers roster this summer.
Will James Harden sign a new contract?
The first element of the Cavs’ offseason rests with how they handle James Harden’s contract. That might set up everything else that follows.
Harden has a player option valued at $42.3 million, but if he opts in, it isn’t fully guaranteed, a rare case in the NBA. Harden could instead choose to opt out and negotiate a long-term deal with the Cavs.
Considering Harden is turning 37 in August, that carries some extra risk for the Cavs, but there’s a major benefit: a multi-year deal would be for a lower average annual value, and it would move the team below the NBA’s second apron.
Life in the second apron isn’t easy, as it comes with heavy restrictions and penalties on how teams can operate. The Cavs are the only roster in the NBA currently above that line.
A multi-year deal for Harden would most likely land somewhere in the range of two years and $25 million-$32 million per year. That would at least temporarily move the Cavs out of the second apron. Why is that crucial? Because it would again allow the team to aggregate salaries in a trade to the same team, which opens up the Cavs’ possible avenues in deals to a great extent.
If the Cavs don’t move out of the second apron, their list of potential moves is limited. Signing Harden to a multi-year deal that saves $10-$15 million in salary cap space is the easiest route to that destination.
Is Donovan Mitchell signing a contract extension?
The Cavs, at the same time, once again have some major decisions to make regarding Donovan Mitchell’s future in Cleveland.
Mitchell has two years left on his deal (though the final year is a player option, giving him some control), which makes him eligible this summer to sign a contact extension that could be a four-year deal worth $272 million.
That would lock Mitchell into a Cavs uniform for the long haul, but it does come with some long-term risk, as the Cavs would then be paying him $75 million in the 2030-31 season, when he’s 34.
Mitchell could also bypass an extension this summer and wait until next offseason, when he’d be eligible to sign an even larger deal (five years, $352 million). Though, that would put all the cards in his hand, and the Cavs might have to find clarity sooner rather than later.
Will Cavs trade Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis?
A potential Evan Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo trade would me a seismic move in the Eastern Conference, and it’s been among the most talked-about potential deals in the NBA for the last several months.
The question is whether both sides see it as a fit, and if both sides are ready to act on it.
Mobley won NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was widely considered a top-15 player entering the season, though a down regular season might have hurt that perception — and potentially his trade value with it. But Mobley had some dominant stretches in the playoffs, including a phenomenal run in Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons, which might have rekindled the sky-high potential and value that has followed him since he was drafted No. 3 overall.
If the Cavs can first slide below the second apron, a deal centered around Mobley and Antetokounmpo becomes even more feasible.
The Harden-Darius Garland swap accelerated the Cavs’ timeline. A Mobley-Antetokounmpo deal would be the evolution of that.
Beyond that one scenario, a Mobley and/or Jarrett Allen trade for an upgrade on the wing remains a real possibility. The Cavs have an army of guards and two bigs, but the wing has been left unattended for quite some time. Max Strus, Dean Wade and others have filled the gap to a degree, and at times done well, but the Cavs lack a true wing to go up against many other contenders.
To that end, it’s possible the Cavs’ standing with one of the best big-man-combos in the game could come to an end this summer, as they deal one to address another need.
Who are the Cavs free agents in 2026 and who re-signs?
A few decisions remain on the free agent front as well. The Cavs have four key unrestricted free agents: Keon Ellis, Wade, Thomas Bryant and Larry Nance Jr.
Ellis was a key part of the De’Andre Hunter trade and would likely be the focal point amongst that group. The Cavs can sign up for up to three years and $52 million. It’s another reason why re-signing Harden to a multi-year deal at a lower AAV makes sense.
Wade will be an interesting case study as a player who provided great value on the defensive end with absolutely nothing on the offensive side in the playoffs. He was credited with slowing down Brandon Ingram in the Raptors series and did well to limit Cade Cunningham at times in the second round.
While much of the focus this summer rests with what the Cavs do with the big four, filling out the roster might also take some creativity.
Could LeBron James join Cavs?
And then there’s the big question that Mitchell didn’t even want to attempt to address after Game 4: could LeBron James re-join the Cavaliers this summer for a farewell tour?
It’d be a move that would fit James’ history, that’s for sure. But making it happen might be more complicated.
The Cavs are limited in what they can do in terms of simply bringing in new free agents, and James likely wouldn’t be willing to come to Cleveland while making a maximum of around $3 million.
That means that in order to make it happen, if both sides want it to happen, a sign-and-trade would need to be in the works, one that would include, most likely, Allen’s contract and then a few other pieces to make it all fit.
As the offseason begins, it might be a bit tricky to make it work. But as the Cavs move around pieces, it’s entirely possible that a James return comes into clearer focus, even if him remaining with the Lakers is the easiest path.
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Harden? Mitchell? LeBron? Giannis? Mobley? Questions Cavs must answer
Reporting by Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
