It seems like a highly active offseason looms for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coming off a second-round elimination in the playoffs, the Cavs enter the regrouping period amid a plethora of rumors surrounding their key players. This is exactly why team owner Dan Gilbert is expected to be involved in whatever happens this summer.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst spoke about Gilbert in a recent episode of The Really Big Show. (per ESPN Cleveland)
“(It) looks like Dan’s back in the game, Dan Gilbert,” host Tony Rizzo said. “How much will he be involved in this offseason with what’s going on?”
“Significantly,” Windhorst replied. “Dan is more in position to be involved with the organization again. He had his other son come and be the team president for a year. He (Gilbert’s son) left the organization this year, so there’s a void, and Dan has stepped into it. And absolutely, Dan is heavily involved, as he should be. He owns the team.”
Windhorst also indicated that despite Gilbert’s involvement, the Cavs’ offseason decisions will ultimately rest upon team president Koby Altman.
“This team is built by Koby Altman. It’s not built by Dan Gilbert. This is Koby’s team, and what will happen this summer — that’s Koby there, but obviously, Dan’s gonna have a big role.”
A cloud of uncertainty looms over the Cavs
Right now, the future of Cleveland’s roster is unknown. For starters, Donovan Mitchell is set to become a free agent after the upcoming season, and the Cavs are expected to make a push in signing their franchise player to a contract extension. One could speculate that Gilbert will be thoroughly involved in this, looking at the gravity of Mitchell’s upcoming decision.
A recent report by Windhorst shows that things seem to be going in the right direction.
“My longtime former teammate Brian Windhorst said this week on ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast that the Cavaliers are ‘very optimistic’ behind the scenes that they will secure Mitchell’s contract extension this summer,” insider Marc Stein said, via ClutchPoints’ Quinn Allen.
Additionally, multiple trade rumors have been swirling around players such as Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Garland just signed a long-term extension last year, but his backcourt pairing with Mitchell hasn’t panned out as expected.
As for Allen, there are talks of a rift between the center and the organization due to his recent ordeal. Allen suffered a rib contusion in the playoffs, and rumors have circulated that there is frustration within the team surrounding Allen’s reluctance to take a painkiller for his ribs. The big man missed the Cavs’ final eight games due to the injury.
Even head coach JB Bickerstaff — who just led Cleveland to back-to-back postseason appearances — isn’t free from the rumors. Presently, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be on the sidelines for the Cavs come October.
The best thing fans can do at the moment is wait and see how everything unfolds in the next few months.