As the Cleveland Cavaliers clinch a spot in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, the front office deserves credit for its in-season moves.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are officially back in the playoffs after clinching one of the top six seeds in the Eastern Conference on Friday evening.
Unlike a year ago, when Cleveland punched its ticket at the beginning of March, it wasn’t a smooth ride to the postseason for this iteration of the Cavaliers.
At one point, it looked like the Wine and Gold might even have to find their way into the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament.
However, the front office didn’t let that happen, and Kenny Atkinson made sure to give them credit for that on Friday night after Cleveland secured its spot in the postseason.
“Listen, give our front office a lot of credit,” said Cleveland’s head coach. “Like, they knew we weren't clicking necessarily, and to make that shift, to bring James and Keon and Dennis.”
The trades for James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schröder have, so far, looked like great moves for the Cavaliers, and the numbers back that up, too.
Sep 14, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman talks to staff and media during an introductory press conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn ImagesSince the trade deadline, Cleveland has a 25-17 record and is averaging 119.1 points per game (the fifth most in the NBA), with an offensive rating of 120.7 (second-best in the Eastern Conference).
On top of that, the addition of Harden has only helped elevate the play of both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the offensive side of the ball, something Koby Altman hoped would happen when he ultimately decided to trade for the veteran superstar guard.
The additions of Dennis Schorder and Keon Ellis can’t be underestimated in those numbers either.
Ellis truly looks like the three-and-D player Cleveland has been looking for for years. Since joining the Cavaliers, the wing has a defensive rating of 114, is averaging 2.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and is shooting 34 percent from behind the arc.
Even though Cleveland is going through some issues on the defensive end of the floor right now, Ellis hasn’t been the problem. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine where the team would be without him.
On the other hand, Schroder gives the Cavaliers a proven and playoff-tested point guard behind Harden and Donovan Mitchell. His impact may only grow once Cleveland starts their playoff run.
While the Cavaliers’ moves leading up to the deadline have seemingly been successful so far, it certainly wasn’t an easy decision to move on from two core members such as Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter.
The ultimate test for the Cavaliers will be in the postseason, but Atkinson is correct.
With the way the season was headed just a few months ago, the front office does deserve some credit for recognizing the team’s needs and making the moves to address them to give the team another shot at a deep postseason run.
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