by The Cleveland Cavaliers 2024 offseason so far hasn’t caused much of a roar around the NBA, but they made some moves to secure the future of the franchise. After being defeated by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, there were speculations that there would be some major concerns among fans around the team and coaching staff. Here are five takeaways from their offseason moves so far.
- Donovan Mitchell’s Contract Extension
Many fans speculated that Donovan Mitchell’s time in Cleveland may have come to an end after the 2024 playoffs push was halted by the Celtics in five games. There were talks of Mitchell going to the New York Knicks to play in his hometown. The rumors were silenced when Mitchell and the Cavs agreed to a $150.3 million to stay in Cleveland until the 2026-27 season with a player option that extends into the 2027-28 season. Mitchell was the key to the team’s success during the season despite battling injuries which put him out of the MVP conversation. He averaged 26.6 points per game with 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds during the regular season.
- The firing of JB Bickerstaff
The JB Bickerstaff era came to an end after the series against the Boston Celtics. Bickerstaff was put on the hot seat after last season’s first round exit against the New York Knicks but just barely beating the Orlando Magic in seven games and being gentlemen swept by the Celtics was the last straw for the front office. Not all the blame can be placed on Bickerstaff as Jarrett Allen was sidelined for most of the 2024 playoffs with an injury as well as Donovan Mitchell for the last two playoff games versus Boston. However, Bickerstaff’s rotations and play calling was criticized with his time with the Cavaliers which eventually led to his demise in Cleveland.
- The hiring of Kenny Atkinson
The Cavs took some time to decide who would be their new head coach and landed Kenny Atkinson. Some of Atkinson’s coaching history is as follows:
- Assistant Coach, Atlanta Hawks (2012-2016)
- Head Coach, Brooklyn Nets (2016-2020)
- Assistant Coach, Golden State Warriors (2021-2024)
- Assistant Coach, French National Team (2024 Paris Olympic Games)
He won a championship with Golden State in 2022 and also previously coached Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert during his time in Brooklyn. The hiring of Atkinson brings championship experience and a new mentality to lead the Cavaliers back to another playoff push.
- Evan Mobley’s Contract Extension
When it came to extending their all-stars, the Cavaliers wasted no time. Evan Mobley agreed to a five-year contract extension which is a max deal which is projected to be worth $224 million. Mobley has seen growth in every season since his rookie year. During the 2024 season, Mobley averaged 15.7 points per game, with 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. These numbers were even higher with games played without Jarrett Allen in the lineup. There was concern among fans about how both Mobley and Allen can thrive in the same lineup but the Cavaliers made it obvious that they want to hold onto Mobley.
- Summer League Standouts
It’s clear that the Cavaliers have some standouts from their summer league games. The first is Emoni Bates. Bates was drafted in the previous year’s draft but wasn’t put much in the rotation during the regular season and spent most of the time playing with the G-League affiliated Cleveland Charge. Bates shows signs that he could be a future star in the NBA especially after averaging 16.3 points in this year’s summer league. The Cavaliers might have also found a diamond in the rough with Jaylon Tyson. He was the #20 pick in the 2024 draft and averaged 15.4 points per game in the summer league. In Tyson’s final two summer league games he scored a total of 44 points with 12 assists and 16 rebounds. It’s clear that Tyson and Bates can both blossom and even could become great rotational pieces going into the 2024-25 season.
If I had to grade the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offseason moves I’d give them a B-. They secured the future of the team with the contract extensions of Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell while finding a new coach to lead the team. The future seems bright with young stars in the summer league, but the Cavs so far failed to acquire more rotational pieces for their bench. The main struggle of the team last season was their bench and injuries. If they can acquire some more depth to add to their bench, they could very well see a Larry O’Brien trophy in the near future.
