The vibes around the Cleveland Cavaliers right now are grim. After putting up a 64-win season that had many fans dreaming of an NBA championship run, they saw their season come to an unfortunate end after they lost their second-round series to the Indiana Pacers in five games — with the Cavs unable to push for a 3-1 comeback after suffering a 114-105 loss on Tuesday night.
This was supposed to be the Cavs’ year; after beginning the season by winning 33 of their first 37 games, anything less than an NBA championship would have been disappointing. But not too many could have foreseen this complete collapse from this season’s best team in the Eastern Conference, as they completely broke down against a Pacers team that snatched their chain.
For head coach Kenny Atkinson, there may be many positives to take away from this past season. But the truth is, the Cavs weren’t able to get to where they wanted to be. In fact, they won as many playoff games in 2025 as they did in 2024, rendering their dream regular season a moot point.
“I do feel like we got better, from a team aspect… a lot of individuals took a step. But the truth is we didn’t get to the level wanted to get to. So we’re not celebrating the season. Now we gotta figure out the last piece, how we make that jump,” Atkinson said after the Cavs’ season ending loss, via Sam Amico of Hoops Wire.
It’s the third year of the Cavs’ core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, and even with the team boasting its deepest roster in recent years, they still could not get the job done. Thus, it might be time for them to ask some difficult questions and wonder whether or not a blockbuster trade or two to find that final piece could be in the offing.
Cavs need the final piece to take them over the top
David Richard-Imagn Images
The Cavs have a talented enough roster that they’ll be back in contention next season even if they decide to simply run it back. Regardless, acquiring that final piece to push them over the top might be necessary, and the good news is that a true top-five player in Giannis Antetokounmpo could be available this offseason.
Antetokounmpo is one of the five-best players in the association, and he would be enough to take the Cavs over the top. But will Cleveland be willing to part with someone like Evan Mobley or Darius Garland to get a potential trade done?
