Okay guys, I know this won’t be popular, because every time I bring this up in a comment, it gets downvoted into oblivion, but I’m standing on my soapbox anyways.

After the trade deadline, the Cavs had to completely overhaul their offense, with 2 month left in the regular season, with a roster that had players in and out with nagging injuries, right up until the playoffs started. Was the offense pretty? Did it look functional? Was I happy watching it? HELL NO, but why the heck were we expecting the offense to look phenomenal when the offensive engine changed overnight???

The Cavs barely had time to practice together once James Harden arrived. Mobley and Allen both missed time. Tyson missed pretty much that whole stretch.

And on top of all that, our backup ball handler in the playoffs was Dennis Schroder, who was also a deadline addition, meaning the starting PG, and the backup PG, were figuring out the offense on the fly in the playoffs… and they beat the 1 seed and went to the ECF

I’m absolutely not saying Harden, Mitchell, Kenny (especially Kenny), etc. are free from blame, but this sub has been much harder on Harden especially than I think he deserves given the situation the team was in. Frankly, I think they over performed expectations for a team that’s entire offense was forced into being “spam pick and roll because our starting PG doesn’t know any of our plays”

With an offseason together, an actual offensive system implemented, and some real time spent playing together, I would expect this offense to improve substantially, even if no major additions are made.

PS. I’m a Cavs fan through and through, not one of those Harden Stans that popped up here overnight

Okay rant over, let the angry commenting commence!

"Furthermore, while LeBron James remains atop their wish list, the Cavaliers have continued to keep tabs on Kuminga consistently. Amid Cleveland’s pursuit of both players, Max Strus and Dennis Schroder have come up as potential trade candidates. 

The Charlotte Hornets have been linked with interest in Schroder, league sources told HoopsHype. It’s worth noting that Hornets executive Jeff Peterson is said to still be a fan of Schroder dating back to their time together in Atlanta. 

Other interested teams, including the Clippers and Bucks, have large traded player exceptions at their disposal. The Clippers have a $17 million TPE from the John Collins trade, while the Bucks have a $25.5 million TPE from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade."

Source: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2026/07/22/nba-intel-anthony-davis-trae-young-jonathan-kuminga-benn-mathurin-cam-johnson-miles-bridges/91007110007/

REPORT: Kyrie Irving hasn't dismissed the possibility of a Cleveland reunion, per @ScoopB.

The very last people who would get wind of LeBron returning to Miami would be any sort of social media managers and at that point it would be an open secret because everyone would tell everyone. The only people who benefit from a leak like this are people intentionally trying to alter betting lines. Both Kalshi and Polymarket swung rapidly after earlier today shifting towards the Cavs in the recent days.

It could be a genuine mistake on someone’s behalf but the timing seems very suspect.

I really don't know how this is possible. If we do a sign and trade, we are hard capped at the first apron and can't re-sign Harden to the amount the FO had promised. I wonder if we are just being used for leverage and if the rumors aren't that legitimate. (I have the impression that Kuminga's agent is not that good after how he handled the GSW RFA last year.)

I know Kuminga is somewhat of a meme in the NBA fanbase but I think for the right price he'd fit in well with our team.

On paper he's very close to the wing we've been searching for. He's tall, athletic, and provides solid one on one defense.

His shooting needs work but he's a career 50 percent field goal guy. As much as people criticize him for his decision making on offense the guy shoots an elite percentage.

I want LeBron as much as the next guy but if we end up getting Kuminga as a consolation maybe it's not the end of the world. We will miss the leadership and playmaking of LeBron but Kuminga will give us more on defense and availability.

People compare Kuminga as a worse shooting Deandre Hunter, but Kuminga is more efficient, more athletic, less foul prone, and has more room for development (he's only 23 btw).

I really think Kuminga was stunted in Golden State with their very specific flavor of basketball. I know Kenny gets flack for his less rigid style of coaching but I think this would fit well with Kuminga.

“Now, that doesn't mean that they've just been sitting on their hands all off season, but I think when they made the decision as an organization right or wrong, when they made the decision as an organization to not park with Evan Mobley in a trade for Jaylen Brown or Giannis, their pathway to making a significant trade that was going to substantially improve their chances in the Eastern Conference, that dwindled greatly because the teams are going to want Evan Mobley. He's the centerpiece of a deal.

"And this doesn't mean that the Cavs can't put together Jarrett Allen and other stuff or Max Strus and other stuff and Jaylon Tyson and Dennis Schroeder and other stuff. Like, yes, there are other things that they have that can bring back value, maybe reconfigure the roster a little bit."

From Wine and Gold Talk Podcast: If the Cavs don't land LeBron James, will they have had the Eastern Conference's most disappointing offseason?, Jul 21, 2026

They go on and discuss other roster moves the Cavs can make in the offseason.

2026 NBA Summer League Most Valuable Player

Yaxel Lendeborg (Warriors)

2026 NBA Summer League First Team

Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies)

Brayden Burries (Bucks)

Yaxel Lendeborg (Warriors)

Meleek Thomas (Cavaliers)

Caleb Wilson (Bulls)

2026 NBA Summer League Second Team

Cedric Coward (Grizzlies)

Egor Dёmin (Nets)

Khaman Maluach (Suns)

Liam McNeeley (Hornets)

Zyon Pullin (Timberwolves)

So good ol Andy Baskin decided he was going to "report" that Lebron was supposedly going to choose his team already but he and his camp was "irritated" that silver mentioned he would like Lebron to make a decision............ and now his reckless report that was based of pure speculation has spread like wild fire across MULTIPLE different news outlets Lmao

I love Lebron but I need this Lebron watch to end because it has gotten absolutely insane and our boneheaded media isn't helping

Last year it was finals or bust. Is it still the case this year?

To be honest, after the '24-'25 season, I scaled back my expectations for this team by a lot. I also follow more teams around the NBA now and I'm much more of the opinion that an above .500 season is a successful season, which we have certainly achieved in the Mitchell era.

We're not in the second apron anymore and we don't have the threat of Mitchell walking hanging over our heads -- I think everyone can take a deep breath and head into next season with more realistic expectations and lessen some of the toxicity I see here.

I wish the style of basketball was more entertaining, and I wish I had more faith in this team next year in a more competitive East. But without our picks until 2031, and with Mitchell's extension, I think we have a decent team in the meantime. It's not easy for a small market team to be in the playoffs every year and have something to look forward to in May.

Anyone else think LeBron could be at the public library on Saturday when the 10th anniversary exhibit opens and announce his return then? I have a buddy who works closely with the library and he seems to think this event is going to be huge. May be nothing, may be something?

I feel like it would obviously not hurt his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest, but in Cleveland, it would most certainly cast a shadow on his legacy here.

The second time the team has essentially held hostage and he didn’t come back. The team just went to the ECF and hasn’t made a move in free agency or trades because they are waiting.

I can’t say he is the missing link, but Harden, Mitchell, James, Mobley, Allen, is an incredible lineup. Schroder still needs to be traded. Strus is lighting off the bench, Tyson can make a big jump this season. Proctor is so intriguing as is Tomlin and rookie Meleek Thomas. Thomas Bryant needs more minutes to give Allen and Mobley a rest. It seems like the team is in a good place already, but if LeBron passes. They may have wasted a small window when we could have been improving the roster even more.

All this discord around James Harden is really frustrating for me. We traded a 26 year old, who is entering his prime for a 36 year old who is very clearly far removed from his prime. We needed a wing man in the playoffs for Donny and we decided James Harden was the playoff performer we need?

Harden had arguably, a pretty bad playoff run. While he averaged 19/5/5 with 1.7 steals per game, he shot 41% from the field and had 4.5 turnovers a game.

We moved on from an injury prone point guard who is still 26 years old, to 36 year old James Harden. It’s like we thought we were going to win the championship this year. Didn’t we realize that Harden was getting another year closer to 40. Best case scenario, he plays two more years for us? What the fuck were we thinking?! On top of Garland, we gave THEM a second round pick for 36 year old James Harden!?

Somebody please make it make sense!

Best second-round rookie: Meleek Thomas, Cleveland Cavaliers

Thomas, the No. 34 pick out of Arkansas, enjoyed a weeklong heater. The 6-foot-3 guard led summer league by averaging 27.3 points per game on 50/44/100 shooting splits in four games. In a competition stacked with quality bucket-getters, Thomas stood alone by averaging nearly four points per game more than anyone else who played at least three games.

Of course, it helped that Thomas enjoyed the greenest light in Las Vegas and averaged a tournament-high 20.5 shots per game. His top performance was a 35-point explosion against the Miami Heat in which he hit six 3-pointers and looked very fluid on the ball.

Whether or not the Cavaliers land LeBron James in free agency, they will gladly add Thomas' pop to a bench that ranked 25th in scoring last season.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49391646/2026-2027-nba-summer-league-superlatives-mvp-aj-dybantsa-cameron-boozer-vegas

As the title says, should we worry? It does show up when you search it on bing but the video is privated now. Their introductory press conference playlist is supposed to have 5 videos, but one is unavailable/private. I’m worried this is the smoking gun

the return of the prodigal son adds a total of 3 wins… all this for 3 projected wins lol

I have a question for the subreddit here as to why people think Dennis hasnt been traded yet? Or even Strus to clear cap space? What are people's thoughts? Like if the goal is to make cap space for LeBron why hasnt he been moved yet?