The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to a red-hot start to the 2024-25 NBA season, currently sitting with the best record in the league at 34-5 following Tuesday evening’s revenge-driven road win over the Indiana Pacers. It’s far and away the best start in franchise history, with the Cavs currently on pace to win 71.5 games this season and running away with the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
Outside of the days when LeBron James suited up for the franchise, Cleveland has never been much of a premier free agent destination, but it appears that stars around the league are starting to take notice of the culture that the Cavs have built with their current core, as confirmed by Brian Windhorst, via ESPN Cleveland.
“Something interesting has happened this year with the Cavs, I’ve had multiple agents tell me that their players want to play in Cleveland,” said Windhorst. “Part of it is because they know that Dan Gilbert will spend money, and that if they trade for their client, their client can get paid. Part of it is they like the way that Cavs are playing, stuff like that. But that is an indication to me that they’re being well-received.”
Do the Cavs need any additional help?
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Despite being on track to challenge for the NBA’s all-time wins record, the Cavs don’t necessarily fit the profile of a traditional “super team,” as Donovan Mitchell is really the only perennial All-Star type of player on the roster. However, the Cavs have constructed a virtually perfect roster around their star, and have seen major improvements from several of their younger stars, like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.
The one area where the Cavs would appear to be a step behind some of their counterparts is along the wings, as the team doesn’t necessarily have a great player to matchup with Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, which would come to fruition in a potential playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
Still, the fact alone that players are taking notice of what the team is doing and appreciating their brand of basketball is proof that the Cavs have fully removed themselves from the shadow of LeBron James which had consumed them for so many years.
In any case, the Cavs will next take the floor on Thursday evening in a highly-anticipated rematch of last week’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
