Fantasy Series #6: The Cleveland Cavaliers
Will LeBron James have his second homecoming with the Cleveland Cavaliers? What will the season be like for Donovan Mitchell and James Harden?
The Fantasy series looks at the featured team’s season statistical performance and explores offseason possibilities.
2025-2026 Key Season Stats
Donovan Mitchell – 28 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 5.7 assists per game
James Harden – 20.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, 7.7 assists per game
Evan Mobley – 18.2 points per game, 9 rebounds per game
Jarrett Allen – 15.4 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, 1 steal per game
So the Cleveland Cavaliers made the Eastern conference finals last season, where they had absolutely no answer to Jalen Brunson’s New York Knicks. The Cavs got swept.
The regular season was no problem for the Cavs. They have Donovan Mitchell, who carries much of the offensive load, and two key big men in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley who can both score points and get rebounds. The problem was playoff Cleveland.
In the middle of last season, they traded away their supposed point guard of the future, Darius Garland, to the Los Angeles Clippers, and got a 36 (almost 37) year old James Harden, to buttress their efforts to win now.
There were a lot of issues with Harden–how he disappears during playoffs, and how he does not play defense (Mitchell has also been criticized for being a traffic cone in defense). That’s a backcourt that does not play defense at all—Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson had a great time scoring against these guys during the playoff series.
During this offseason, the Cavs barely made any movement. They re-signed Mitchell into a 4-year extension, and let go of some supporting cast members (Larry Nance Jr, Keon Ellis, and Dean Wade).
A plot twist could be LeBron James’ second Cleveland homecoming.
The Cavaliers, apart from the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat, are favorites to be LeBron’s destination this summer. LeBron’s impact on their playoff aspirations could be significant, but a lot of pundits are saying that LeBron, Mitchell, and Harden are defensive weak points waiting to be exploited. On the other hand, LeBron’s playoff experience will pay off, as shown in the Lakers’ stint last season, where they beat a young Rockets team.
It would be a great story if LeBron comes home to Ohio, and even a good one if they win a second chip with him.
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