Cavaliers enter 2026-27 with Mitchell and Harden locked up after East finals run
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
The Cavaliers re-signed Donovan Mitchell (4 years, $273 million) and James Harden (3 years, $97 million) this offseason.
Cleveland reached the East finals last season but was swept.
Background
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an NBA team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster, beating the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons before being swept 4-0 by the New York Knicks, who won the 2026 championship. Donovan Mitchell, a Cavaliers guard acquired from the Utah Jazz in 2022, signed a 4-year, $273 million extension, and guard James Harden re-signed for 3 years, $97 million. The team also reshaped its roster, adding Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets via sign-and-trade while losing several rotation players, and LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers instead of returning to Cleveland. The topic is trending as season previews land ahead of the 2026-27 opener.
How it unfolded
- May 1, 2026Donovan Mitchell and James Harden played for the Cavaliers in Game Six of the First Round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
- May 17, 2026Cleveland advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after a 125-94 Game Seven victory in Detroit over the Pistons.
- 2026 offseasonThe Cavaliers drafted Meleek Thomas (No. 34), re-signed Thomas Bryant and Mario Hezonja, extended Mitchell and Harden, and acquired Peyton Watson from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade.
- 2026 offseasonKey departures included Keon Ellis (Nets), Dean Wade (76ers), Larry Nance Jr. (Pacers), Max Strus (traded to Clippers) and Dennis Schröder (traded to Hornets); LeBron James signed with the 76ers.
- Jul 13, 2026Meleek Thomas scored 30-plus points for the second straight Summer League game, against the Heat.
- Oct 15, 2026A Yahoo Sports season preview listed Cleveland's 2025-26 record as 52-30 (4th in the East, swept in the East finals by the Knicks) and a preseason power ranking of No. 11.
- Oct 19, 2026Jarrett Allen and head coach Kenny Atkinson held media availabilities after practice; Bleacher Report projected Cleveland to go 49-33 this season.
- Oct 20, 2026The Cavaliers introduced the second cohort of the Cavaliers Social Impact Academy.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Bleacher Report projects Cleveland will go 49-33 this season, fewer than last season's 52-30, and notes some pundits believe the Cavaliers got worse this offseason.
- Analysts
- Yahoo Sports' preview places Cleveland at preseason power ranking No. 11.
- Expert
- Kram predicted Sam Merrill, Peyton Watson and Jaylon Tyson will average 40 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range this year.
Still unverified
The 40-points-per-game, 40-percent-from-three projection for Merrill, Watson and Tyson is a pundit's prediction, not a result; Bleacher Report's 49-33 projection is likewise a forecast, and its claim that some pundits believe the Cavaliers got worse this offseason is opinion rather than confirmed fact.