In the wake of the Cleveland Cavaliers being unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks, coach Kenny Atkinson tried to put a positive spin on everything: At least they made the conference finals.
"We jumped a barrier that we were stuck on, second round, stuck on that," Atkinson said, referencing exits in the previous two playoffs in the second round. "We made the jump again with a roster we're trying to figure out in two-and-a-half months to get ready for the playoffs. So, with not great preparation time to put it together on the fly, it says a lot about the guys in the room, so I consider it a success."
It didn't feel like a success watching the Eastern Conference Finals. There was a clear gap between Cleveland and New York — and the Knicks aren't going anywhere in the East. They will be back next season with the same core. Plus, there will be an improving Detroit team that could see additions to its core, a healthy and improved Boston team that has won a ring before, and a healthy and dangerous Indiana squad that gets Tyrese Haliburton back and an upgrade at center with Ivica Zubac (even if the pick price was steep).
What does Cleveland do to vault past those teams? Do they even need to do much?
It sounds more like Cleveland is running its core back.
Atkinson to return as coach
That running it back starts with the head coach: Kenny Atkinson will return for a third season in the big chair, according to multiple reports including The Athletic’s Joe Vardon and ESPN’s Shams Charania. There are not going to be front office changes, either, and there is significant support for Atkinson in the front office, according to reports.
Atkinson also has the backing of franchise star Donovan Mitchell, who called the idea of replacing the coach "ridiculous" in his exit interview.
Atkinson led the team to 64 wins last season and the conference finals this season — they have been good under him. It's fair to ask who the Cavs could get to replace him that's better? Either way, that question appears to be moot.
Mitchell, Harden extensions
Cleveland had the highest payroll in the NBA this season, and now its two biggest stars — Mitchell and James Harden — are extension eligible.
Both also said they want to stay in Cleveland.
Mitchell has one year at $50.1 million left on his contract (plus a player option after that at $53.8 million, which he likely does not pick up). Because he's reached 10 years in the league, he is eligible for a 35% of the cap extension this summer: Four years, $272 million. Mitchell is in his prime and would be age 34 when that contract ends.
In his exit interview, Mitchell talked about his love for the city of Cleveland and feeling like there was "unfinished business." While there was hope in some corners of the league that a frustrated Mitchell would try to force his way out this offseason, that does not appear to be the case, and he is expected to get an extension and sign it.
Harden wanted out of Los Angeles after the Clippers front office was hesitant to give him the extension he wanted. There is no way he and his representatives worked out a trade to Cleveland without a handshake agreement on an extension. It's a done deal.
Haden has a $42.3 million player option for next season, the expectation is he will decline that for two years (maybe two and an option) for more money total. Two years, $60 million? That lowers the Cavaliers' short-term bill and gives Harden some security at age 36.
Harden made it clear he wants to stay.
"[I'm] coming into my 18th year. I don't have no pride, I just want to win," Harden said at his exit interview.
Bold move for Antetokounmpo? Bring back LeBron?
What was clear from the Western Conference Finals was that Cleveland has to do something to take a step forward with the roster.
There has been speculation linking Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Cavaliers, but that trade would only happen if Cleveland is willing to include 24-year-old, recent Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley in the deal. Is Cleveland's front office willing to get that much older (Antetokounmpo turns 32 before next season) to upgrade for a run the next couple of years? Antetokounmpo is going to demand a max extension from whatever team trades for him, a deal that could well be an anchor by the end of it. Expect to hear rumors, and the Cavaliers have to consider them, but it would take multiple teams to pull this off, given the Cavaliers' cap situation. Is that the move they want to make?
For a lower-level move, there has been a lot of talk about LeBron James returning for one year to finish his career where it started. It has a nice poetic ring to it, and LeBron showed this season he is still an All-Star-level player who can help a team. He could slot in as a third option.
The question is money — all the Cavaliers could offer LeBron is the veteran minimum of $3.9 million, and it seems unlikely he'd take that kind of pay cut (he made $52 million this past season). Cleveland could work out a sign-and-trade for a more reasonable sum, but that means the Cavaliers are sending a player of some value out West (Max Strus at $16.6 million)?
A lot of people around the league see Cleveland as the most likely landing spot for LeBron outside of Los Angeles, but how badly he wants that to happen remains the big question.
Maybe the Cavaliers pivot another direction, trying to trade Jarrett Allen for a desperately needed two-way wing. Maybe it's something else, but it's clear the Cavaliers need to do something this offseason, because just running it back sounds like a recipe for disaster.
COVERS INTEL: Looking back at the last 21 times Wembanyama took 15 or fewer FGAs (without injury impact), he’s followed those quiet efforts by averaging 28 points in the next game. He’s topped 30 points in nine of those outings.
