The Cleveland Cavaliers crashed out of the 2026 NBA Playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals, losing Game 4 130-93 to the New York Knicks to get swept and face an uncertain 2026 offseason.
The franchise is rumored to be in rumors to acquire LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo while facing the potential free agency decision of midseason acquisition James Harden. Outside of an Antetokounmpo trade, the core trio of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen will likely be returning pieces.
One piece that might not return is head coach Kenny Atkinson. Despite leading the team to their first Conference Finals since 2018, ESPN’s Aaron Goldhammer reports that the Cavaliers could be interested in firing Atkinson and hiring recently fired Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, tying into their pursuit of LeBron.
“I have a theory, kind of confirmed by some people that I know around the league, that the Cavs will seriously look at Jason Kidd. If the LeBron thing is in play, LeBron has a great relationship with Jason Kidd and a lot of respect for him. Kidd’s been his assistant before.”
Atkinson has gone 116-48 over two seasons as the Cavaliers’ head coach, leading the franchise to a 64-win record in his first season. While both seasons have ended with underwhelming Playoff exits, it might be premature to fire Atkinson after the baseline of success he’s given them. A 60-win season and a Conference Finals run aren’t something that gets coaches fired, so it would be odd for the Cavaliers to hire Kidd after going 205-205 in five seasons with the Mavericks.
The only reason to consider such a move is as part of a play to attract James back to Cleveland for the 2026-27 season. LeBron and Kidd have shared a locker room both as players on the 2008 Olympics squad and later when Kidd was an assistant coach with the 2019-20 championship-winning Lakers.
The Cavaliers can’t fire Atkinson and hire Kidd without having an assurance that LeBron will be joining, as the 41-year-old forward will likely have to accept a minimum contract to return to the cap-strapped Cavaliers. But given how rich a retirement season on a competitive Cavs team will be for the narrative of his career, many are expecting this to be a real option he considers.
This won’t be the first time Atkinson has lost a head coaching role he was performing well in to appease a potential new star, as the Brooklyn Nets fired him in 2019 after he shockingly led the team to the Playoffs because they were signing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. If James joins Cleveland, a Kidd hiring wouldn’t be out of the question.
Kidd might have had an iffy record in the regular season, but he is considered to be a Playoff specialist with how he led an overmatched Mavericks squad to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and the 2024 NBA Finals.
On the same ESPN show where they revealed the potential interest in Kidd, a local Cleveland bakery owner called in and claimed that NBA legend Charles Oakley has personally told him that James is 95% returning to Cleveland.
“Charles Oakley came to my bakery all the time. He told me he’s met with Maverick Carter last week, and that LeBron James is 95% coming to Cleveland.”
The claim from the baker should be taken with a pinch of salt (or sugar), but it’s interesting to see LeBron rumors catch steam the morning after the Cavs were eliminated. It’s going to be a summer full of rumors for the Cavaliers.
