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The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t blow up anything after getting swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I think that was the right call, because this team was already pretty close. Cleveland finished 52-30, ranked sixth in offensive rating at 119.2, and reached its first Conference Finals since 2018, so the answer wasn’t starting over; it was finding better pieces around a core that still has the talent to win the East. The front office basically doubled down on that idea during the summer. Donovan Mitchell signed a four-year, $273.0 million extension, James Harden came back on a three-year, $97.0 million deal after arriving for Darius Garland at the deadline, and the Cavaliers made their biggest outside move by landing Peyton Watson in a five-team sign-and-trade. Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Dean Wade, and Keon Ellis are among the players gone, while Mario Hezonja also returned to the NBA after several seasons in Europe. That leaves Cleveland with a very clear bet for 2026-27: The Big Four have to be good enough to carry most of this. There isn’t another superstar coming, and they have the pieces to win, because Mitchell averaged almost 28 points last season, Harden can still run an elite offense, Mobley is entering his prime, and Allen remains one of the better centers in the East. The problem is that we already saw this group hit a wall in the playoffs. Cleveland scored only 107.9 points per game during the postseason, Harden dropped to 19.2 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 29.9% from three, and the Knicks beat them by 37 points in Game 4 to finish the sweep. This season isn’t really about proving the Cavaliers are good. We already know about their talent; now they have to prove this Big Four can actually finish the job in a stacked Eastern Conference. Starting Lineup Point Guard – James Harden Shooting Guard – Donovan Mitchell Small Forward – Peyton Watson Power Forward – Evan Mobley Center – Jarrett Allen There really isn’t much mystery with four of these five spots. James Harden played 26 regular-season games for the Cavaliers after the deadline and averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists while shooting 46.6% from the field and a crazy 43.5% from three, and his job will again be making life easier for Mitchell instead of having him carry the entire team. My concern isn’t really whether Harden can produce from October through April, because he clearly still can. And I still haven’t figured out what it is, but his reputation for crumbling under the postseason lights only grew last season, even with a less protagonistic offensive role now. I’m still concerned about him once the road gets tight. Mitchell is still the guy this whole thing is built around, and his 2025-26 season was even more elite than expected. He averaged 27.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 48.3% from the field and 36.4% from three, made the All-NBA Second Team, and finished seventh in MVP voting, then still averaged 26.0 points in the playoffs even as Cleveland’s offense couldn’t get enough traction. Mitchell signing that $273.0 million extension also removes basically every question about where this team is going; the Cavaliers are his team for the next several years. I like that clarity, because now Cleveland doesn’t have to spend another season hearing trade rumors every time it loses three games, but Mitchell also has to eventually turn these regular-season numbers into a Finals trip. At 30 during the season, he isn’t running out of time tomorrow, but these next two or three years should be the best championship window of his career. Peyton Watson is the one new starter, and honestly, I really like this move for this specific lineup. Watson broke out with the Nuggets last season at 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from three, which is a massive jump from the offensive player he was early in his career. Cleveland absolutely needed that 6-foot-8 frame, defense, transition scoring, and enough shooting that defenses can’t just leave him alone. After missing out on LeBron James, the Cavaliers clearly decided that a 23-year-old wing who can guard multiple positions was a key piece to this championship window. Then there are Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and I still think this is where Cleveland has a major advantage against most teams, at least on paper. Mobley averaged 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 54.6% from the field; Allen added 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds on 63.8% shooting, so the Cavaliers get size, rebounding, and rim protection in both positions. The concern remains spacing, especially because Mobley shot only 29.7% from three last season, and that can get ugly in the playoffs when teams are willing to pack the paint. Watson hitting 41.1% last season helps a lot if that shooting is legit; Harden and Mitchell obviously demand attention outside, but Cleveland still needs Mobley to become at least a respectable shooter if this exact five-man group is going to make a deep run. Main Bench Point Guard – Craig Porter Jr. Shooting Guard – Sam Merrill Small Forward – Jaylon Tyson Power Forward – Mario Hezonja Center – Thomas Bryant This bench isn’t filled with huge names, but I actually think it can work because Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson were already very productive last season. Merrill averaged 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while making 42.1% from three, and Tyson had a real breakout year with 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 49.3% from the field and an absurd 44.6% from three. Tyson might be the most important reserve on the roster, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up closing a lot of games instead of one of the starters, depending on the matchup. He already started 42 times last season; he has enough size at 6-foot-6 to play on the wing, and that 44.6% three-point number makes him extremely easy to use around Harden and Mitchell. Cleveland lost Strus and Wade this summer, so Tyson going from a nice young player to a dependable 28-minute guy would solve a lot of problems. Craig Porter Jr. should get the first opportunity to handle the backup point guard minutes now that Schroder is gone. He averaged only 4.5 points last season, but he also produced 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 17.9 minutes. He doesn’t need many shots, and he can defend, which is enough when one of Harden or Mitchell will probably be on the floor for the most important minutes anyway. Mario Hezonja is easily the most unknown part of this rotation, because we haven’t seen him in an NBA game since 2020. He spent the last several years in Europe and averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in EuroLeague play for Real Madrid last season, although he shot only 30.2% from three there after being a much better shooter in previous years. Still, I can understand why Cleveland took the chance once LeBron signed with the 76ers. Hezonja is 6-foot-8, can play either forward spot, and gives the Cavaliers another player who is comfortable shooting the ball, and they aren’t asking him to come back and suddenly become the lottery pick Orlando expected 11 years ago. If he gives them 15 solid minutes, hits open threes, and doesn’t get targeted defensively, that is already enough. Thomas Bryant is the backup center that brings a completely different game than the starters up front. He averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in only 12.2 minutes last season, shot 50.6% from the field and 35.9% from three, and Cleveland brought him back on another one-year contract this summer. Allen is going to play most of the center minutes, and Mobley will obviously get some time at the five too, so Bryant doesn’t need a major role. He is there for nights when Allen gets into foul trouble, when Cleveland wants a floor-stretching option, or simply when Atkinson doesn’t want Mobley fighting centers for 36 minutes in December. Additional Depth Meleek Thomas Nae’Qwan Tomlin Riley Minix Meleek Thomas is the interesting one here because he might eventually force his way into the main rotation. Cleveland acquired the No. 34 pick after he averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals at Arkansas, shooting 43.0% from the field, 42.0% from three, and 84.0% from the line, which is a pretty impressive line for a second-round guard. I wouldn’t expect Thomas to play 20 minutes immediately because the backcourt is filled, but if the shooting translates, Cleveland could have another cheap young scorer ready whenever injuries hit, and for a team paying huge money to its stars, finding rotation players on rookie contracts is going to become more important every year. Nae’Qwan Tomlin already showed he can kind of dominate against second units, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes across 64 games last season while shooting 47.8% from the field. The three-point shooting was rough at 23.5%, which is why I have Hezonja ahead of him right now, but Tomlin’s size and athleticism are crazy tools, and the way he relentlessly attacks the rim has been huge as an energy spark for this team. For me, the Cavaliers enter 2026-27 with a better top-end lineup than they had one year ago, mostly because Harden now gets a full season with Mitchell and Watson gives them the type of two-way wing they badly needed. The depth isn’t amazing, and losing several veterans means Tyson, Porter, and Hezonja have to give them something, but there are enough pieces here that I wouldn’t blame the bench if this team falls short again. It always comes back to the Big Four. Harden has to avoid another playoff disaster, Mitchell has to play like the All-NBA guard Cleveland just gave $273.0 million, Mobley must show up offensively, and Allen has to hold the paint, because if those four are playing at their best, I think this roster has a chance to win the East. After a 52-win season and an Eastern Conference Finals sweep, being “good enough” isn’t really the question anymore; Cleveland already proved that. This season is about whether this roster is good enough together to beat the best teams four times in the playoffs, and at this point, there really aren’t many excuses left.