The NBA offseason is often filled with notable players changing teams and franchises chasing win-now talent in hopes of launching themselves into the realm of true title contention. The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, have taken this offseason cautiously, making no significant roster changes at all.
Much of the Cavs' hesitations stem from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which heavily restricts a front office's ability to make moves and spend money on new free agents once the franchise goes over the luxury tax threshold. With two max-salary players in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, the Cavaliers are nearing the tax line, and Evan Mobley's new contract extension will force Cleveland past the threshold once it kicks in, barring any major salary dumps.
Rather than panic and trade a core player, the Cavaliers hired a brand new coaching staff led by Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson, Jarrett Allen's former Brooklyn Nets coach, won the 2022 NBA Finals as the lead assistant coach under Steve Kerr on the Golden State Warriors. Atkinson's vast NBA knowledge and extensive career made him a worthwhile candidate, and his staff hires have given the Cavs fanbase plenty to celebrate for next season.
Still, the Cavs offseason has yet to surprise or excite the city. While committing to a talented young core can be considered the right decision, the Cavaliers' problems extend far beyond four players. In the playoffs, the Cavs' bench fell flat, ranking in the lower half of postseason squads in points per game and fourth-worst in three-point percentage. It is the second consecutive postseason in which the secondary unit has underperformed drastically, forcing an imbalanced burden on the star players.
The Cavaliers either improve the bench or risk playoff embarrassment again
While the Cavaliers stand pat in the offseason, conference rivals race to fill every need remaining. The Philadelphia 76ers added a third two-way star this summer with Paul George and added numerous talented role players around him. The New York Knicks pulled off a headlining trade with their neighboring rival Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges and still re-signed OG Anunoby to a multi-year deal.
It is undeniable that the Cavaliers have fallen in the power rankings across the Eastern Conference. Most notably, Cleveland's depth does not employ a single backup center or trustworthy replacement for Allen or Mobley if one falls to injury. Should both players be absent from the lineup, the Cavaliers would have no options to place at the center position. For a team that struggles to maintain health throughout a full season and most recently relied on a resurgence from veteran Tristan Thompson to withstand physical opponents, the Cavs' lack of aggression in free agency is a major mistake.
The path forward to success for the Cavaliers is not clear, but the wealth of talent in the core offers hope. Still, Cleveland is seemingly unwilling to part ways with any member of the nightly rotation. Holding every player to an unattainable value can severely limit the Cavs' ceiling as it has the past two playoffs.
At this point, the Cavaliers cannot continue hiding the fact that the rest of the Association does not value Cleveland's second-unit players as much as the Cavs do. And, thus far, the Cavaliers' rivals have been justified in this perspective. Isaac Okoro's second playoff performance left more to be desired than his first offensively, Caris LeVert continued his unpredictable streakiness and Georges Niang was quickly played off the court by both the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics.
Keeping the core is reasonable. Ignoring glaring issues on the bench to avoid the luxury tax is inexcusable. The latest report from Cavaliers insider Chris Fedor (via his paid Subtext) suggests the final roster spot will be given to one of Atkinson's "guys" rather than a legitimate proven veteran player. This team is not a contender and has no options to give Mobley and Allen rest. Entering next season without any shake-up in the lineup will lead to a humiliating end to the year, and a new head coach cannot solve this.
If the Cleveland Cavaliers do not show aggression to develop a reliably competent second unit, then the efforts to keep Donovan Mitchell in town may be for naught sooner rather than later.