The Cleveland Cavaliers are predicted to be the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference next season.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins believes the Wine and Gold will be the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference next season.
Perkins thinks LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers will be the third seed, followed by the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic.
The Cavaliers have a talented core of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Cleveland will start those five guys next season and bring newcomer Mario Hezonja off the bench.
Cleveland defeated Toronto and Detroit to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without LeBron on the roster. The Knicks, who won the 2026 championship against the San Antonio Spurs, swept the Cavaliers in the conference finals.
Watson was a great addition for the Cavaliers, who needed a small forward after LeBron went to the Philadelphia 76ers and Dean Wade left Cleveland for Philadelphia.
For the Nuggets last season, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from beyond the arc and 73.0% from the free-throw line. He's one of the best two-way wings in the NBA.
Watson signed a four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers. The deal includes a player option and a trade kicker.
Cleveland opens next season against LeBron and the 76ers in Philadelphia. That will be an electric atmosphere.
Can a core of Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen win a championship? We'll find out soon.
The biggest move the Cavaliers made this summer was signing Mitchell to a massive extension. Mitchell agreed to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension with Cleveland.
The Cavaliers acquired Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in 2022. Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 points per game in the playoffs in a Cleveland uniform.
If the Cavaliers falter in the 2027 playoffs, don't be surprised if Mitchell, Harden and Allen are not on the team in 2027-28.
