Cleveland Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Khalifa Diop, adding another young piece to their frontcourt as the organization continues putting the finishing touches on its roster ahead of training camp.

Diop, the 39th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, spent the past three seasons with Baskonia in Spain's Liga ACB and the EuroLeague before making the move to Cleveland. The 24-year-old averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks while shooting 67 percent from the field in 47 combined appearances last season, helping Baskonia capture the 2026 Copa del Rey title.

Although Diop is unlikely to see significant playing time immediately, his signing gives the Cavaliers additional size and depth behind Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Thomas Bryant. At 6-foot-11, he provides another interior option while giving Cleveland a developmental prospect the organization has monitored since selecting him four years ago.

The move also helps the Cavaliers navigate the NBA's salary-cap rules. Because Diop had not previously signed an NBA contract, Cleveland was able to add him while remaining under the league's first-apron hard cap following its busy offseason that included acquiring Peyton Watson and re-signing James Harden.

With the roster largely set entering training camp, Diop will have an opportunity to continue his development while competing for minutes in Cleveland's frontcourt rotation.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived forward Cam Whitmore, ending his brief tenure with the organization just days after acquiring him as part of the five-team trade that brought Peyton Watson to Cleveland.

Whitmore never appeared in a game for the Cavaliers. His inclusion in the Watson trade was widely viewed as a financial component of the larger transaction rather than an indication that Cleveland planned to make him part of its long-term rotation.

The 22-year-old forward was selected 20th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2023 NBA Draft before spending last season with the Washington Wizards. In 2025-26, Whitmore averaged 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game, showing flashes of the athleticism and scoring ability that made him a first-round selection.

For Cleveland, the decision was driven largely by roster construction and salary-cap management.

After acquiring Watson and agreeing to a new contract with James Harden, the Cavaliers found themselves navigating the NBA's first-apron restrictions. Waiving Whitmore provides additional financial flexibility as the organization finalizes its roster ahead of training camp.

While Whitmore's time in Cleveland was short, he should attract interest once he clears waivers. Still just 22 years old, he possesses the physical tools and offensive upside that could earn him another opportunity elsewhere in the league.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, continue to focus on rounding out the back end of their roster as preparations for the 2026-27 season move closer to training camp.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have checked off another major item on their offseason to-do list.

One day after acquiring forward Peyton Watson in a blockbuster five-team trade, the Cavaliers agreed to a new three-year, $97 million contract with veteran guard James Harden, ensuring one of the NBA's premier playmakers remains in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. The agreement includes a player option for the final season as well as a trade kicker.

The move provides long-term stability for a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and has made it clear it intends to remain among the NBA's championship contenders.

Harden, an 11-time All-Star and the league's 2018 Most Valuable Player, arrived in Cleveland at last season's trade deadline and quickly became an integral part of the Cavaliers' success. In 26 regular-season games with Cleveland, he averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds while helping guide the Cavaliers to the conference finals.

Earlier this summer, Harden declined his $42.3 million player option for the 2026-27 season, fueling speculation about his future. Instead of testing free agency, the two sides worked toward a longer-term agreement that gives the veteran guard additional security while allowing Cleveland to continue shaping its roster around its championship aspirations.

The timing of the agreement is no coincidence.

By waiting to finalize Harden's contract, the Cavaliers were able to complete several significant roster moves, including the acquisition of Peyton Watson, before officially locking in the veteran guard's new deal. The sequence allowed Cleveland greater financial flexibility while preserving the core of a team expected to contend in the Eastern Conference once again.

With Donovan Mitchell leading the scoring attack, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchoring the frontcourt, and Watson adding length and athleticism on the wing, Harden's return provides continuity at the point guard position and ensures Cleveland retains one of the league's most accomplished offensive orchestrators.

For the Cavaliers, the message this offseason has been unmistakable.

Rather than taking a step back after last season's playoff run, Cleveland has doubled down on competing now. Retaining Harden while reshaping the roster around him gives the organization confidence that its championship window remains wide open as preparations for the 2026-27 season continue.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers addressed one of their biggest offseason priorities Wednesday, acquiring restricted free-agent forward Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets as part of a blockbuster five-team sign-and-trade agreement.

Watson, 23, agreed to a four-year, $88 million contract with Cleveland after emerging as one of the league's most promising young two-way forwards. The deal sends veteran forward Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers, while Denver receives Cleveland's unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick and additional draft compensation. The trade also includes the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets, making it one of the most complex transactions of the NBA offseason.

The move gives the Cavaliers a player they have spent much of the offseason searching for: a long, athletic wing capable of defending multiple positions while contributing offensively without requiring the ball in his hands.

Watson enjoyed a breakout campaign with Denver last season, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting more than 41 percent from three-point range. At 6-foot-8, he adds length, versatility and athleticism to a Cleveland roster built around Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

To complete the transaction, the Cavaliers parted with one of their most reliable veterans.

Strus spent three seasons in Cleveland after arriving as a free-agent acquisition in 2023. Known for his perimeter shooting, toughness and postseason experience, he became an important contributor during the Cavaliers' rise into the Eastern Conference's upper tier. Moving his contract, however, created the financial flexibility necessary to acquire a younger player who better fits Cleveland's long-term plans.

The trade also continues a busy stretch for the Cavaliers' front office.

Just days after sending Dennis Schröder to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tre Mann, Cleveland used Mann as part of the larger multi-team transaction. The Cavaliers also acquired forward Cam Whitmore from Washington, though his long-term future with the organization remains uncertain as Cleveland continues managing its salary-cap situation.

While the price was significant—including a future unprotected first-round pick—the Cavaliers clearly believe Watson is worth the investment.

His age, defensive versatility and continued offensive development make him one of the more intriguing young forwards in the league, and Cleveland is betting that his best basketball is still ahead of him.

With training camp now just weeks away, the Cavaliers appear to have found the starting-caliber wing they have been seeking while keeping intact the core of a team expected to compete near the top of the Eastern Conference once again.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded veteran guard Dennis Schröder and cash to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for guard Tre Mann.

For Cleveland, the move appears to be as much about financial flexibility as it is about the player coming back.

Mann, 25, is coming off a down season in Charlotte, averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 53 games while playing primarily off the bench.

He will make $8 million this season, considerably less than the $14.81 million owed to Schröder. The swap clears approximately $6.8 million from Cleveland's 2026-27 payroll while giving the Cavaliers added flexibility moving forward.

Mann's contract also includes an $8 million team option for the 2027-28 season, allowing Cleveland to decide next summer whether to keep him at that figure or move on without a long-term salary commitment.

Schröder spent only part of one season with the Cavaliers after arriving from Sacramento. He appeared in 30 games for Cleveland and averaged 8.2 points per game after averaging 10.8 points across 70 games between the Kings and Cavaliers last season.

The 32-year-old will now join the 12th franchise of his NBA career.

For the Cavaliers, however, the larger benefit of the deal comes on the financial side. Moving Schröder's contract creates additional breathing room beneath the NBA's salary aprons and gives Cleveland more options as it continues shaping its roster.

That flexibility could prove valuable either during the remainder of the offseason or later in the season as the NBA trade deadline approaches.

CLEVELAND — As it turns out, LeBron James won’t be coming home after all.

In an announcement on X, James revealed he is joining the Philadelphia 76ers for his 24th NBA season, pairing up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in an ultimate push to capture another championship before his legendary career concludes.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, James has agreed to a two-year, $8 million veteran's minimum contract that includes a player option for his 25th season.

"I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship," James wrote in his statement. "I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team, and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time. Thank you, LA. Miami, I'll forever love, and Northeast Ohio will always be home!"

With the 20-time All-Star taking his talents to the City of Brotherly Love, the door has officially slammed shut on a third stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the Cavaliers faithful held onto hope that the Akron native would orchestrate one final hometown reunion to chase a ring in Northeast Ohio, instead it will be Philadelphians hoping King James is the final piece for a franchise desperate to hoist its first Larry O'Brien Trophy since 1983.

James joins former Cav Dean Wade who signed with the 76ers on a four-year $39 million deal roughly 3 weeks ago.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have secured their superstar for the foreseeable future, signing seven-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to a massive four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension.

According to reports from ESPN’s Shams Charania and Bobby Marks, the newly minted agreement includes a player option for the 2030–31 NBA season alongside a full 15 percent trade kicker.

Mitchell, 29, chose stability and immediate commitment over a maximum possible payday. By signing on his first day of contract eligibility, the explosive guard bypassed a path to wait until next summer, when a five-year supermax contract would have been worth an estimated $353 million. By signing early, Mitchell effectively left an estimated $80 million on the table as the extension officially replaces the final guaranteed year of his previous contract.

This extension follows a stellar campaign where Mitchell averaged 27.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, carrying the Cavaliers to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in eight years.

The early signing sends a massive shot across the bow to the rest of the NBA. Mitchell has firmly put prospective free agents—including ongoing rumors surrounding a historic hometown return for LeBron James—on notice that he is completely locked into delivering a championship back to Northeast Ohio.

With their franchise cornerstone secure through his prime, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and the Cavaliers front office can shift their focus toward aggressive roster-building to keep Cleveland as a legitimate threat to compete for NBA championships for the duration of this contract.

CLEVELAND — LeBron James is arguably the greatest basketball player the state of Ohio has ever produced. Yours truly believes he is the greatest basketball player from Ohio, with all due respect to Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek (I’m not counting Steph Curry, who, like LeBron, was born in Akron, but unlike LeBron, grew up in North Carolina). Lucas has more championships; Havlicek has the trifecta of a National Championship, a Gold Medal, and an NBA Championship.

However, LeBron’s career is more complete than either Lucas’s or Havlicek's, considering he is the NBA’s career scoring leader while winning four NBA Championships with an equal number of MVPs.

The only thing left for LeBron to do is to end his career the right way by going out on top.  Win another ring and sail off into the sunset.  Another ring and retirement would be the icing on the cake for James' incredible career.

But to add the cherry on top of it all - to make his career truly storybook - requires one extra thing:  returning home to Ohio to win the Cavs another championship, and retire on his own terms a Cavalier.

This angle makes the potential reunion between Cleveland and LeBron far more than a sentimental marketing stunt. Returning home would be a calculated, pragmatic basketball decision for both sides.

LeBron wouldn’t be joining a rebuilding squad; he would be stepping onto a roster already ready to make a deep run – which is to say, if LeBron wants to capture his fifth ring, he needs a put-together, ready-made team like Cleveland. Meanwhile, Cleveland is maybe a LeBron-sized piece away from their second title.

Of course, I’m not convinced that if the Cavaliers had LeBron on the roster last year they would have beaten the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Knicks seemed to be a team of destiny—or, at the very least and what is probably the reality, they were so locked in the zone as a team that no one was beating them anyway. But next year is next year, and maybe it’s the Cavs locked in at the right time, and they go on a run. Why not?

I can guarantee you this: LeBron, or his people, have contacted the Cavaliers. They had a productive call and know where each other stand. Now they are considering the possibility of his return, with a scheduled follow-up call at some point in the future. There’s just no way a “feeler” call/text/contact hasn’t happened.

As such, whatever transpires between LeBron and the Cavaliers brass over the coming days will fundamentally reshape the Cavaliers’ roster, as well as the NBA landscape. If both sides find common ground, it sets the stage for a storybook ending, giving Ohio a Hollywood finale that would seem too good to be true if it weren’t actually happening.

CLEVELAND — NBA free agency is officially underway, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have already suffered a notable roster defection. Wing Dean Wade has agreed to a four-year, $39 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The deal carries an average annual value (AAV) of $9.75 million.

Wade’s departure marks the conclusion of a developmental success story in Cleveland. Originally signed to a two-way contract in 2019, the undrafted Kansas State product steadily carved out a vital role as a reliable multi-positional defender. His defensive impact was heavily backed by analytics last season, with Wade posting a robust 1.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating during the 2025–26 campaign.

While his traditional offensive output remained modest—averaging 5.3 points and 1.1 assists per game last year—his box score metrics fail to capture the full scope of his game. Though analysts and fans frequently clamored for Wade to weaponize his skill set more aggressively on the offensive end, his defensive intelligence made him a trusted rotational piece for the coaching staff.

With Wade officially headed to an Eastern Conference rival, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and the front office must quickly pivot. Fresh off selecting guard Meleek Thomas in the draft, Cleveland is reportedly actively shopping multiple assets and engaging with outside free agents as they begin aggressively reshaping the roster for another deep playoff run.

Stay tuned to Ohio Sports Hub for more on the Cavaliers roster building this off-season, which will prove to be a busy one.

CLEVELAND — After executing a first-round trade with the Sacramento Kings, the Cleveland Cavaliers capitalized on their newly acquired draft positioning by selecting University of Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas with the 34th overall pick.

Numerous draft outlets gave Thomas a 1^st round grade following an explosive freshman campaign with the Razorbacks. The 6-foot-3 sharpshooter averaged 15.6 points per game last season under Arkansas head coach John Calipari, hitting on an impressive 43 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

The Cavaliers hope Thomas can carry that perimeter efficiency straight into his rookie season. However, joining an established, championship-contending Cleveland backcourt means the rookie faces an uphill battle to secure heavy minutes early on. The front office expects him to compete immediately for a role as a sparkplug scorer off the bench.

Defensively, Thomas brings intriguing physical tools, featuring a substantial 6-foot-7 wingspan that helped him disrupt passing lanes to the tune of 2.0 steals per game in college. While scouts noted that his defensive engagement can occasionally wander when he is off the ball, his raw athletic ceiling is undeniable. If the Cavaliers' coaching staff can refine his off-ball consistency, Thomas possesses the frame and instincts to blossom into a high-level, two-way asset.

The incoming rookie expressed confidence in his path forward shortly after hearing his name called.

"The work is going to show for itself," Thomas said in a post-draft statement. "In due time, everybody gone wake up and realize."

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers executed a major strategic pivot during the 2026 NBA Draft trading their first-round selection (No. 29 overall) to the Sacramento Kings. In return, Cleveland acquires the 34th overall pick early in the second round, along with a future 2032 second-round draft pick.

The transaction represents a significant financial triumph for President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and the front office. By sliding down just five spots in the draft order, the Cavaliers successfully bypass the mandatory guaranteed salary scale required for first-round selections. The savings offer critical breathing room for a roster operating on the edge of the NBA’s luxury tax.

Altman was transparent about the front office's fiscal motivations following the draft-room deal.

“We were looking at exit strategies all along,” Altman explained. “We certainly need to navigate this tax and second apron.”

While the long-term impact of the move depends entirely on how the prospects chosen at No. 29 and No. 34 develop over their careers, early analysis favors Cleveland’s execution. Altman managed to weaponize minor draft positioning to secure vital financial flexibility for this season and beyond, netting a future asset in the process.