NBA Analyst Gives Bold Take After Cavaliers Offseason

Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA season, the league was shaken up with major movement across the landscape. The Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns didn't even wait for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the championship before they agreed to a trade to send Kevin Durant to his fifth career team.

KD wasn't the only star who had to move this offseason. Damian Lillard was bought out by the Milwaukee Bucks and reunited with the Portland Trail Blazers, Bradley Beal also agreed to a buyout from the Suns and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he was eventually joined by former LA legend Chris Paul. Desmond Bane, Kristaps Porzingis, and Norman Powell are just a few of the other names that found new homes this offseason, too.

Compared to the massive shakeups throughout the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers had themselves a quiet summer. There were some rumblings that they were drawing up plans to bring LeBron James home from the Los Angeles Lakers, but that dream might be dead, at least for the 2025-26 NBA season. Even though they didn't make any major deals, the Cavs put together a solid offseason that should set them up for success in this upcoming campaign.

ESPN insider says the Cleveland Cavaliers are Eastern Conference favorites for the 2025-26 NBA season

They may not have added an All-Star or brought the King home, but the Cavaliers did make moves this past summer. They re-signed Sam Merrill to a team-friendly deal, traded Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball to help replace Ty Jerome's production, and brought back veteran big man Larry Nance Jr.

It may not have been the most exciting offseason for Cleveland, but the front office did bolster the depth of a roster that won 64 games last year. If their additions of Ball and Nance Jr. work out the way they envisioned, there's no reason the Cavs can't put together an even stronger campaign this season and, hopefully, improve upon their recent postseason shortcomings.

ESPN's Kevin Pelton is optimistic about their chances, grading their offseason a "B":

"We'll see how much the Cavaliers get from Lonzo Ball, limited to 35 games last season by wrist injuries after 2½ years off the court due to his left knee. Ball was a low-cost pickup for Cleveland to help replace Ty Jerome, lost to help manage the Cavaliers' sizeable tax bill. So too was bringing back Larry Nance Jr. as a third center. Despite the loss of Jerome, Cleveland looks like the favorite to win the East."

Lonzo Ball is set to be the x-factor for Cleveland. If fully healthy, he should provide much-needed infusions of perimeter defense, playmaking, and off-ball shooting to give Cleveland a well-rounded and deep enough roster to make an extended postseason run. With only 70 games played in the last four years, though, that's a big "if" for Ball and the Cavs.