The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 2025-26 NBA season ended on a sour note, as the New York Knicks swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the first time the Cavaliers had gone that far in the playoffs in eight years, but the manner of the exit led to chatter about major changes in the offseason. It looks like they’re going to run it back, though.
Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, held his end-of-season press conference on Friday, and if we go by all that he said, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and head coach Kenny Atkinson will all still be in Cleveland next season.
Mitchell, who averaged 27.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26, is obviously the biggest piece. The 29-year-old will be eligible to sign a four-year, $272 million extension on July 7, and Altman was asked at what point age factors into this conversation.
“Donovan is our guy,” Altman said. “He loves it here. I think he’s professed how much he loves it here emphatically… It’s interesting, 2018 was the last time he made the Conference Finals and Finals, and eight long years to get back here. The four years without him, no playoffs. The four years with them, playoffs, multiple Conference Semifinals or Conference Finals.
“He’s elevated everything about this franchise and this organization,” Altman continued. “So when he professes his love for being here, we’re fortunate to have him, and we’ll work out those details when it comes time. But right now, he’s still playing the best basketball of his career.”
Mitchell has spoken about just how much he likes being in Cleveland. He’s also committed to the Cavaliers, and you don’t let players like him go if they don’t want to.
“There hasn’t been any question of will he be here and does he want to be here,” Altman said.
As for Mitchell’s backcourt partner, Harden, Altman made it clear the Cavaliers hope he will be back.
“He has a player option,” Altman said. “… We have to talk to his representation about what that looks like. We’re hopeful he comes back, and we have a full training camp with him. I think in regards to James, he was remarkable for us. I think people need to take a step back and realize we didn’t trade for MVP James Harden.
“We traded for James Harden at the end of his career that has transformed himself to becoming one of the best point guards in the league,” Altman continued. “He helped stabilize us. He helped re-galvanize the group.”
Harden has a $42.3 million player option for 2026-27. It has been reported that he could opt out and sign a two-year, $60 million deal. That’s more guaranteed money for Harden, who averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Cavaliers in 2025-26, and a smaller cap hit for the team.
Altman also confirmed that Mobley, whose name has often popped up in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, is part of the Cavaliers’ future. The executive spoke glowingly of both him and Allen here.
“We need them,” Altman said. “They’re almost like our cheat code in terms of defensive prowess, but also just in terms of our net rating when they’re on the floor together. They both grew, they both grew tremendously, and again, this is an evolution of where we’ve been the last five years. There’s been times when we failed, and we fell in our face, and only come back stronger.
“I think we’re gonna add to the moniker like Game 7 JA,” Altman continued. “Game 7 JA. That’s going to be etched in the walls somewhere in Cleveland history. And it really will be because we needed him at those times and at those moments when our season’s on the line. He was incredible.
“And then Evan Mobley, who you can argue was consistently our best player throughout the playoffs,” Altman added. “I know everyone wants to jump from him. And he does himself, but this playoffs, he was tremendous for us.”
Altman was referring there to Allen, who averaged 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26, having 20-point outings in Game 7s against the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons. He exorcised some of his playoff demons and showed his worth.
As for Mobley, he hasn’t yet taken the leap many expected him to, but he remains a quality player. The 24-year-old put up 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game in 2025-26. There would be suitors if the Cavaliers shop Mobley, but it doesn’t look like they will.
Lastly, we get to Atkinson, and Altman stated that any chatter about the coach being on the hot seat wasn’t accurate.
“We heard a lot of noise after that loss to the Knicks, which was unfortunate,” Altman said. “I don’t think it was a story. There was never a conversation about Kenny at all.”
Atkinson isn’t perfect by any means, but he has fared well, especially in the regular season. He won Coach of the Year in 2025 and has gone 116-48 since he was hired in 2024.
The Cavaliers believe in Atkinson and this group. It’s hard to see them getting over the line and winning a championship as things stand, but they might just prove us all wrong in 2027.
