Cavaliers Projected to Have Better Record Than LeBron James' 76ers Next Season

ESPN projects the Cleveland Cavaliers to win 51 games next season. 

Cleveland acquired Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets and re-signed James Harden this summer. Head coach Kenny Atkinson is expected to start Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen next season. 

ESPN believes the Cavaliers will win one more game than LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers next season. The 76ers had a strong summer. They signed James and former Cleveland forward Dean Wade and acquired Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. 

"Cleveland hopes a full season of the Donovan Mitchell-James Harden backcourt and its recent acquisition of two-way wing Peyton Watson can buoy the franchise after last season's run to the conference finals," ESPN wrote. "Philadelphia, after trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James, enjoyed the greatest infusion of talent the conference has seen since James left Miami for his second stint with Cleveland over a decade ago. Health and cohesion will be among Philly's biggest concerns, but the 76ers have by far the biggest upside of any team in the East."

Cleveland opens next season against LeBron and the 76ers in Philadelphia. That will be an electric atmosphere.

The Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without James on the roster. The New York Knicks, who won the 2026 championship against the San Antonio Spurs, swept Cleveland in the conference finals.    

Watson signed a four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers. The deal includes a player option and a trade kicker. 

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.

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.

Without James, the Cavaliers' core remains the same: Harden, Mitchell, Mobley and Allen. Can that core get over the hump next season or will they falter in the playoffs again? 

Only time will tell.