INDEPENDENCE — The Cleveland Cavaliers expected to be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Instead, a front office led by president of basketball operations Koby Altman is attempting to recover from disappointment and plotting a path toward redemption.
On the heels of the top-seeded Cavs falling 4-1 to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Altman held a season wrap-up news conference on Monday, May 19, at Cleveland Clinic Courts. He and the rest of the franchise will have some intriguing options to consider in the coming months.
So here are five key decisions the Cavs must make this offseason:
1. Can the Cavs trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Every NBA club in the mix to contend next season should be asking itself whether it can land superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
If the realistic answer is maybe, then those teams must do their due diligence by calling the Bucks.
For the Cavs, All-Star forward and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley is the one player on the roster who may move the needle for the Bucks.
“We’re going to go as a franchise as Evan is going to go,” Altman said. “And we’ve had that conversation with Evan.
“We’re going to see some internal growth there, and we think we have one of the best big men in the game in Evan Mobley.”
Although the 23-year-old Mobley appears to have an extremely bright future, pairing a 30-year-old Antetokounmpo with a 28-year-old Donovan Mitchell would boost the Cavs’ chances of winning a championship in the near future.
Mitchell has two more seasons under contract before his player option for 2027-28, so the Cavs had better operate with a sense of urgency.
It’s the duty of Altman to at least explore the possibility of wheeling and dealing with the Jimmy Haslam-owned Bucks.
2. Will the Cavs really keep the core four together?
Altman’s public stance about wanting to maintain continuity with the core four is convincing.
“This is year three for the core four and they’ve had incredible success, right?” Altman said. “Playoff success needs to come next, but I think there’s an internal belief because of what we proved this year during the regular season and what we’re capable of to run it back and see what we can do.”
As the offseason unfolds, though, opportunities could emerge and prove to be too tempting for Altman to stand pat like he did last offseason.
An Antetokounmpo splash aside, Mobley and Mitchell are virtual locks to remain with the Cavs, so breaking up the core four would likely mean trading All-Star point guard Darius Garland or center Jarrett Allen.
Garland is an explosive offensive threat, but his lack of prototypical size seems to contribute to the bevy of injuries he has endured. He frequently absorbs blows to the face, and he suffered a broken jaw in the 2023-24 season. More recently, a sprained big toe cost him four playoff games.
Allen is a good center on both ends of the floor with an All-Star appearance on his resume. He also has a selfless, team-first attitude. But his playoff performances have been up and down.
If a chance to trade for an established postseason riser materializes, Altman may not be able to resist revamping Cleveland’s core after all.
3. Should the Cavs re-sign Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill?
Guard Ty Jerome broke out during a phenomenal regular season and finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting. In his first career postseason, he continued to shine for much of a first-round sweep against the Miami Heat. Then he struggled mightily in the second round against the Pacers.
Jerome headlines a list of Cavs players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Guard Sam Merrill, center Tristan Thompson and wing Javonte Green are others.
This isn’t meant to suggest none of them will return, but Altman spoke as if he is open to swapping out role players in an attempt to fix the roster around the edges.
“When guys find that confidence in this system, their value gets driven up,” Altman said when asked specifically about his level of interest in retaining Jerome. “Same thing with Sam Merrill. You want to call these guys end-of-bench players before that have become real rotational players and valuable within the ecosystem, not just us. And so I think the good news is those guys are … going to do really well for themselves.
“The good news also is that we know, because of our program, we’re going to be able to continue to develop our end-of-bench guys to become rotational guys. That’s going to be part of our evolution and also how we navigate some stiff penalty taxes. We have to continue to develop from within. And those two stories are incredible success stories from the development programs and putting them in a position to be successful. And so, yes, we’d love to keep Ty, but we’ll see what the marketplace holds.”
4. How can the Cleveland Cavaliers become tougher?
Since the season ended, Altman, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson and Cavaliers players have stressed the importance of the team becoming physically and mentally tougher to get over the second-round playoff hump.
“When things get tight, how do you get that foul-line rebound? How do you get the ball in? That’s what I’m looking towards,” Altman said. “I think that’s going to end up winning games and series, and you can’t give away playoff games. You can’t give away Game 2 [against the Pacers]. That’s going to haunt us forever. And that last minute, minute and a half, you can point to a few things where we need to be tough, and I think everyone would agree with that.”
Altman insisted a team can gain mental toughness by experiencing playoff failures.
No one will argue it’s possible, but is it adequate, or do the Cavs simply need to acquire a scrappy veteran or two who have been through legitimate playoff battles?
The answer should heavily influence Atkinson’s view of the free agent and trade markets.
5. What are Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson’s adjustments?
Atkinson deserved the NBA Coach of the Year award he won for his first regular season with the Cavs.
However, Atkinson knows he is not exempt from blame for Cleveland’s postseason letdown. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, he often found himself scrambling for answers against Pacers counterpart Rick Carlisle.
Atkinson has been back to work and presenting the Cavs with ideas.
“Kenny is in the office right now,” Altman said. “He’s not going to settle for this.”
The Cavs ranked first in the NBA in offensive rating (121) and eighth in defensive rating (111.8) during the regular season. But against the Pacers, the Cavs’ offensive rating dropped to 112.6 and their defensive rating rose to 116.7.
How can Atkinson improve Cleveland’s late-game execution? How can he bolster the team’s abilities to defend an elite transition offense and a five-out system? How can he prepare the Cavs to handle full-court defensive pressure, even when Garland is hurt, and stay disciplined enough to run a structured offense predicated on ball movement and quality shot selection? How can he instill toughness?
Whether Atkinson needs to modify his staff to help him answer those questions is another decision he and the Cavs ought to make.
What date is the NBA draft?
The 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled to be held June 25-26. The first round is set to start at 8 p.m. June 25. The second and final round is slated to begin at 8 p.m. June 26.
The Cavs don’t have a first-round pick, but they own two selections in the second round (Nos. 49 and 58 overall).
What date is NBA free agency?
The negotiating period for NBA free agency is scheduled to open at 6 p.m. June 30. Teams may begin signing free agents to contracts at 12:01 p.m. July 6.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
