Cavaliers Ranked Top 5 in Future NBA Power Rankings for the Next 3 Years

Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes ranked the Cleveland Cavaliers fourth in his future NBA power rankings for the next three years.  

The Cavaliers have a talented core of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. 

"As long as they don't trade 25-year-old Evan Mobley, the Cleveland Cavaliers should have a high defensive floor," Hughes wrote. "Donovan Mitchell's recent re-commitment to the team on an extension that keeps him locked up through 2029-30 also assures the presence of a lead offensive option with multiple All-NBA nods.

"Peyton Watson fits right between those two stars and could be the reason Cleveland ditches the not-quite-contender status it has held for the last handful of seasons. The Cavs have been extremely expensive for a while, and Mobley's extension will take up 30 percent of the cap for most of the next half-decade. Without control of a first-rounder until 2030, Cleveland is also short on flexibility. If things go very wrong, a reset that involves a Mitchell and/or Mobley trade could restock the cupboards. For now, the Cavs feel like a lock to win 55-plus games and should scare teams more than ever with Watson's defense and athleticism joining the operation."

The Cavaliers will start Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen next season and bring newcomer Mario Hezonja off the bench. 

Cleveland defeated the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster. The New York 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.