Report: Cavaliers' Kenny Atkinson 'Not on the Hot Seat'

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a very poor start to the season.

After having the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, the Cavaliers are only 16-14 this season. 

Some people around the NBA have speculated that Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson could lose his job, but that's not the case whatsoever, according to NBA insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic. 

"Reigning NBA coach of the year Kenny Atkinson is 'not on the hot seat' with the Cleveland Cavaliers despite the team's poor start, multiple league sources with direct knowledge of the franchise's thinking told The Athletic," Vardon wrote. 

"To be clear, decision-makers, coaches and players are 'upset' with how the team has played for two months following last year's 64-win season, but those frustrations have not risen to the level of Atkinson's job being in imminent danger, those sources said."

The Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2025 playoffs but lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round in five games. All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen haven't led the Wine and Gold past the conference semifinals as a "Big 4."

The NBA trade deadline is in February. Garland and Allen have been in trade rumors, but it doesn't look like the Cavaliers are looking to shake things up. 

"Additionally, Cleveland's front office, led by president of basketball operations Koby Altman, is not in a hurry to overhaul the roster, even though the Cavs have the NBA's most expensive collection of players (with a payroll of $229.8 million, they are the league's only team currently over the second apron)," Vardon wrote. "Team executives want to see how it looks once all of the Cavs' projected starters are on the court together, which has yet to happen this year. To that end, at least two trade offers for rotation players were rejected by Cleveland, league sources said."

The Cavaliers are in seventh place in the East. They would be in the NBA play-in tournament if the regular season ended today. 

It will be interesting to see if Cleveland turns things around moving forward.