What Cavs being a big part of GM Survey means for now and the future

The NBA recently conducted their annual GM Survey where league executives are asked a number of questions about topics involving certain players and teams. In that, the Cleveland Cavaliers were really well represented on this list, as much as any team.

Evan Mobley was voted to be the most likely breakout player, edging out Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards. The Cavaliers were voted the team that made the best overall moves this offseason and were tied for second as the team most likely to improve. Only the LA Clippers had a higher percentage of the vote than the Wine and Gold. The Cavs were also almost voted as having the most promising young core in the NBA.

So what does this GM sentiment mean for now and the future for the Cavs?

For this season, the GM Survey had the Cavaliers finishing 6th in the Eastern Conference. I think the Cavs could very well finish top 4, but finishing 6th is reasonable, considering how brutal the East is nowadays. The Cavaliers are a really young team, but they have a core that should keep them as a legit contender for a long time.

If Evan Mobley has the breakout year that this survey predicts and is ultimately the Cavs’ best player by the end of the year, I think you can bet on the Cavs finishing higher than 6th, even in a brutal East. And if Mobley does breakout, he certainly raises Cleveland’s ceiling quite a bit.

It’s also to see why league execs see Donovan Mitchell as the player acquisition likely to make the biggest impact. Everybody knows the kind of player Mitchell is; he’s a top 15-20 player, a 3-time All-Star in five seasons, and is one of the league’s best scorers.

He’s just going to make things so much easier on Darius Garland and the offense. We all know much of last year because of injuries that everything was Garland or bust, because he was really the only guy that could handle the ball on the perimeter. You add in a talent like Mitchell and it just opens up so much more. We’ve seen that a bit in the preseason as Garland/Mitchell fit so well together and Mitchell just adds a lot more shooting and spacing.

It’s easy to see why the Cavaliers were tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for second, while behind only the Clippers for most improved this year. NBA execs are high on the Cavs and again they were voted the most promising young core.

Mitchell (26 ) is in his prime, Garland (22) and Mobley (21) haven’t even entered their primes, and meanwhile Jarrett Allen is only 24 as well. Particulary if/when Mobley hits his ceiling and becomes the best player you’ll see on them, the Cavs make the leap from very good to championship contender with the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. WIth the age of the group, this Cleveland team should be a factor for a long time.

As far as the future goes, there will ultimately be questions about Mitchell’s contract down the road, one would assume, but with this group, especially with Mobley and Garland, Mitchell is in a great basketball situation. If things are going well and the Cavs are winning, it will be pretty hard for Mitchell to potentially want to leave, so I believe there is a very good chance the Cavs are a contender for many years.

We’ll see the new-look Wine and Gold against a potential East rival on Wednesday as they travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors to tip off the 2022-23 season.