The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't get LeBron James. However, they still received a positive final offseason grade.
The Cleveland Cavaliers received a positive final offseason grade from NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report.
Hughes gave the Cavaliers, who didn't get LeBron James, a B+.
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 the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without LeBron 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 Denver 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. It's put up or shut up time for Cleveland.
Yes, Mitchell and Harden are future Hall of Famers and elite scorers, but for Cleveland to win a title, Mobley has to be the team's best player because he's got the most two-way upside.
Mobley has been with the Cavaliers since 2021. He holds career averages of 16.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game and won the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Mobley has played in 43 playoff games with the Cavaliers. He's averaging 15.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Those numbers need to be much better for Cleveland to get over the hump and win a championship without LeBron.
Mobley has often been compared to Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, but you can’t be Garnett if you don’t play with Garnett-level intensity, another area in which Mobley struggles.
