The Cleveland Cavaliers have shown a lot of signs since the season ended that they are going to avoid any big roster shakeups this offseason. And by "a lot of signs", I'm mostly referring to president of basketball operations Koby Altman's exit interview, in which Altman continually praised Cleveland's core four and basically communicated that the Cavs' plans are to keep that core four intact.
Cavs fans hoping for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade were disheartened by Altman's interview, especially after Cavs owner Dan Gilbert tweeted out a message following Cleveland's exit from the playoffs that suggested a big move might be on the horizon. But Altman shut down those notions with his comments less than a week later.
Are the Cavaliers actually going to stay quiet this summer, or was Koby Altman throwing us all a curveball?
Despite Altman's "run it back" manifesto, which has also been echoed by head coach Kenny Atkinson since the season ended, not everyone is buying the notion that Cleveland won't make a big splash. ESPN's Brian Windhorst is one of those non-believers, or at least on the verge of being one.
"I'm still trying to decide about whether or not I believe that the Cavs are going to actually stand pat," Windhorst said on Tuesday during an ESPN radio appearance.
Windhorst speculated that, even with Altman saying what he said, there's a chance that Gilbert and the Cavs' upper management is nonetheless speaking with the Bucks about a Giannis deal right now. Windhorst also pointed out that transactions generally don't happen during the NBA Finals; so if the Cavs are indeed involved in a huge move, it's not like it would be happening at this very moment.
Cavaliers fans aren't giving up on the possibility of a Giannis trade
Windy's remarks gave Cavaliers fans something to hold onto, especially considering the reality that Cleveland running things back in 2026-27 simply isn't a winning recipe.
Atkinson talked a lot about the value of having a full training camp with James Harden ahead of next season, as if that's going to make a massive difference and vault the Cavs into the NBA Finals.
The Cavs weren't nearly good enough as constructed this past season to reach the Finals, and they're entering an offseason in which they'll have to deplete some of their depth to get under the second apron. Why should we believe that this team will be better next year, unless something seismic happens to the roster?
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