Cavaliers Get Honest Grade for Offseason Moves

The Cleveland Cavaliers, while not having the most drastic offseason in terms of how they approach their moves, managed to make a few key decisions around the edges of this roster in order to prepare for another top-seed run in the Eastern Conference.

Out of the mix was Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome, while Lonzo Ball, Tyrese Proctor, and even a familiar face in Larry Nance Jr. was added into the fold as a part of their summer moves, and ultimately has them on track for a second season of finishing first in the East.

But in the eyes of ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, while the Cavaliers do look like they'll be atop the conference at the end of next season, their offseason wasn't quite as shining–– opting to grade Cleveland's offseason as a C when sorting through the best and worst summers around the league.

"There is no reason why the Cleveland Cavaliers shouldn't be the top team in the Eastern Conference yet again during the 2025-26 season. But Darius Garland will likely miss the start of the season, which is why the Cavs brought in Lonzo Ball at the expense of Isaac Okoro," Siegel wrote, "Losing Okoro, as well as Ty Jerome, leaves some holes in Cleveland's second unit. Can De'Andre Hunter, Max Strus, and Dean Wade remain healthy enough to make an impact? Although Ball is a good player and will hold a key role without Garland available, the Cavs didn't really make any moves to better themselves."

"At the same time, they are the only second-apron team in the NBA and are limited in terms of what they can actually do without tearing down their core. This is the most important season in Cavaliers' history, as falling short of the Eastern Conference Finals will result in major roster changes."

With the Cavaliers entering that dreaded second apron this summer, the chips are clearly all in for Cleveland and this core for the coming year, and if things take a turn for another disappointing postseason at year's end, this team will almost certainly be headed for drastic measures on their roster.

So, for the season ahead, the pressure is maxed out for the Cavaliers to wash away their shortcomings from last playoffs, and by being in that second apron adding such a long list of team-building restrictions, it'll be tough to picture a ton of further adjustments to be made on Cleveland's roster besides what's been done this summer.

Time will tell if the moves from Cleveland's most recent offseason were enough to get over the hump for next season, but if it wasn't, expect a vastly different approach from the Cavaliers come next summer.

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