Just when things were going well for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics had to swoop in and try to change that. After suffering a torn Achilles tendon last May, Tatum is officially questionable for Boston's game on Friday against Dallas.
The Celtics are the No. 2 team in the East, so they're a threat in the conference without one of their star players. If he can return and work his way up to looking like even 75 percent of the player that he was before getting injured, the Cavaliers' hopes of winning a championship will go swirling down the drain.
Cleveland traded for James Harden before the deadline to try to "save" the season, and so far, it's worked. The Cavaliers have yet to make a deep playoff run with Donovan Mitchell, who will become extension-eligible on July 7. They want to put themselves in the best position to lock him down to a new deal, not lose him.
Well... about that. Tatum's looming return dampens Cleveland's hopes of being the last team standing in the East. If the Cavaliers finish as the No. 3 seed and the Celtics stay in the second spot, they could meet in the semifinals, where another early exit could be enough for Mitchell to seriously think about leaving Ohio.
Jayson Tatum's return could spoil everything for the Cavaliers
Mitchell has a $53.9 million player option he could decline next summer, allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency in 2027. Cleveland doesn't want that to happen, and the easiest, yet also the hardest, way to ensure he's happy is by winning.
Another early flame-out would not automatically mean he'd ask out, but questions would swirl even more about his future. If Mitchell declines to sign an extension this summer, deciding to at least wait and see how the first half of the 2026-27 goes (maybe with a certain man who goes by the name of LeBron James?), the pressure on Cleveland would multiply.
None of this is meant to assume the Cavaliers will come up short of the conference finals again now that the Celtics have Tatum back, but you know, it does hurt their chances. Boston is an experienced team. It has proven playoff performers, and while Mitchell can light it up in the postseason, his backcourt mate has a record of failing to show up in elimination games.
As good a feel-good story as it is to have Tatum back roughly 10 months after his devastating injury, it could have a completely different effect on Cleveland and its star player.