The Cleveland Cavaliers landed 10th in ESPN's NBA Future Power Rankings after ranking fourth last year, with player talent carrying the strongest score.
ESPN released its annual NBA Future Power Rankings on Wednesday, with the Cleveland Cavaliers coming in 10th out of 30 teams.
A year ago, Cleveland was fourth.
The exercise looks ahead three seasons, projecting each team's on-court outlook from 2026-27 through 2028-29. Ben Golliver, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, and Dean Oliver scored each team across five categories.
The biggest piece is the roster itself, with current players and future potential making up 60% of the score. Management, draft assets, and money are each worth 11.67% of the formula. Market makes up the remaining 5%.
Cleveland's overall score came out to 60. Toronto came in 11th with the same score of 60.
Cavaliers Rank Fourth in Player Talent
The Cavaliers scored 75 in the players category, which ranked fourth. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks rated higher.
Cleveland scored 65 in management and ranked 11th. It ranked 23rd in both money and market, with scores of 33 and 41.
Cleveland's 14 in the draft category was 28th, better than only the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kram wrote that, on paper, a starting five of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen has enough to contend for a title.
Kram also pointed to the cost of adding Harden and Watson. Cleveland gave up some future flexibility, and its scores in most of the other categories suffered for it.
Cleveland Built Around Harden, Mitchell, Watson
Cleveland assembled that group over the summer.
Watson came over from the Denver Nuggets in a five-team sign-and-trade, then signed a four-year, $88 million deal with a player option and trade kicker. The deal sent Cleveland's unprotected 2031 first-round pick to Denver, while Max Strus went to the LA Clippers.
The Cavaliers also re-signed Harden, and Mitchell signed a four-year, $273 million maximum extension.
Marks wrote that Mitchell, Harden, Watson, Mobley, and Allen are all under contract for at least the next three seasons.
Marks credited Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman for reshaping the roster despite financial limits and few tradable picks. He also questioned what Cleveland could do next if this group stalls.
After the Watson deal, the Cavaliers no longer have a tradable first-round pick.
Cavaliers Have Remained Near Top of Future Rankings
Three years ago, the 2023 edition ranked Cleveland 11th. The Cavaliers already had Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen at the time and ranked seventh in the players category.
Oliver wrote that only two teams have posted a better record since then.
The main change to the core, according to Oliver, is Harden in place of Darius Garland, who went to the Clippers.
Oliver also listed Cleveland among five teams ranked in the top 10 this year and last, along with Oklahoma City, Houston, San Antonio, and New York.
He wrote that Finals winners have generally come from teams ranked in the top 10 in both the title season and the season before it.
ESPN Questions Cleveland's Long-Term Flexibility
Golliver's bold prediction for 2027-29 was that the summer spending would "age like cheap wine."
He wrote that owner Dan Gilbert gave big contracts to Mitchell, Harden, and Watson, and that Cleveland should factor into the 2027 and 2028 title conversations before Mitchell's salary rises and Harden nears his 40th birthday.
Harden turned 37 on Aug. 26.
Last season, the Cavaliers went 52-30. They beat Toronto in the first round and the Detroit Pistons in the second round, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster.
The Knicks swept Cleveland in the conference finals and went on to beat San Antonio for the 2026 championship.
In 54 games for Denver last season, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Before a hamstring strain sidelined him in early February, Watson was shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from 3.
Philadelphia, which signed James this summer, ranked eighth in the Future Power Rankings.
Cleveland opens the season Oct. 22 against the 76ers.
