Four games were enough for the New York Knicks to shatter the Cavaliers’ championship dreams. Despite the trade for James Harden, the Finals were the initial goal, but now LeBron’s future is uncertain, and the same applies to Donovan Mitchell.
Following a disappointing sweep by the New York Knicks, who celebrated their first Finals appearance in 27 years, Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell was quickly confronted with the inevitable question: «Would you be happy if LeBron James returned to you?»
Since LeBron’s second and thus far final ‘King’ era in Ohio, the Cavaliers have not reached the Finals. LeBron becomes a free agent this summer. However, ‘Spida’ remained tight-lipped: «That’s not a question for me. I’m not looking to make headlines right now. That’s a question for Koby Altman or Mike Gansey.»
President of Basketball Operations Altman and General Manager Gansey will have more than just the LeBron question to address in the offseason. Mitchell’s future is also uncertain. The same goes for James Harden, and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson did little to impress during the series against the Knicks.
Could a Royal Return Happen? LeBron’s Future Looms Large
NBA legend and expert Charles Barkley is rarely known for reserved analyses and was quick to criticize the Cavs at halftime of Game 4 (49:68): «To the kids watching right now: If you want to know what ‘giving up’ means, you can just look under ‘Cavaliers’.»
Barkley continued his rant before stating what many Cavs fans might have been thinking: «Hey LeBron, go back to Cleveland! You know damn well you should end your career there.»
Whether LeBron truly knows that remains to be seen. Since their playoff exit with the Los Angeles Lakers, the 41-year-old has largely held back on concrete plans. He hasn’t ruled out retirement this summer, although signs are increasing that he wants to play a 24th NBA season. The Lakers have verbally opened the door for his return, but financially, there could still be significant discussions.
How exactly the Cavs could accommodate him further is likely to remain the secret of the Cavaliers, the franchise with the currently most expensive roster and the only team over the second apron. Or perhaps it’s the secret of insiders, experts, former players, and companions who have repeatedly written and spoken about LeBron returning to Cleveland in recent months.
James himself stated he «hasn’t really thought about» what will happen after the summer. Until he announces his decision, a Cavs comeback will likely remain a constant topic, at least in the media.
Donovan Mitchell: Will Spida Stay Long-Term?
The Cavaliers will need to begin their planning for the upcoming season much earlier than August, which LeBron indicated as the latest time for his decision. Discussions with Mitchell are likely to be at the top of their list.
Mitchell, who advanced past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career, wants to stay in Cleveland. After the clear elimination against the Knicks, he spoke of «unfinished business» and promised another pursuit of a second ring for the city.
The guard further explained: «I’m sorry to the city of Cleveland that it went down like this and we got swept. That sucked! But I said it last year and I’ll say it again: We’re coming back. We’ll be ready. We’ll be hungry.»
It certainly didn’t sound like farewell words, but the situation is complicated. This summer, the 29-year-old could sign a contract extension. The new deal would be worth four years and $277 million. Until a decision is made on this, no other decisions will be made.
If no signature occurs, Spida could opt out of his player option next summer and suddenly be on the market as a free agent. This would be a worst-case scenario for the Cavs, who certainly want to keep Mitchell long-term after a strong season (Second-Team All-NBA) and a good series against the Knicks (27.3 PPG).
However, if Mitchell privately indicates he doesn’t want to stay long-term, a trade might become necessary. The Miami Heat are already rumored to be interested.
James Harden: Indeed Not a Championship Maker
Mitchell is just one of two superstar question marks in the backcourt. However, James Harden’s playoffs might also have raised questions about his superstar status. After the Cavaliers surprisingly acquired «The Beard» just before the deadline, even LeBron was sure: «They’re going for it.»
They were going for the title. Nobody trades a 36-year-old All-Star for a 26-year-old All-Star (Darius Garland) in February unless the goal is a championship. But it wasn’t enough, and Harden was partly to blame. Not once in the entire playoffs (18 games) did he make more than nine field goals. In seven games, he had more turnovers than field goals. His shot wasn’t falling as it had in better times (41.0 FG%, 29.9 3FG%), and his defensive shortcomings were brutally exposed by the Knicks.
However, even before Game 7 in the previous series against the Detroit Pistons, Brian Windhorst (ESPN) reported: «No matter how this playoff run goes, Harden, who has once again shown inconsistent performances in the postseason, will likely sign a long-term deal in Cleveland this summer.»
This was already expected when the trade became known almost four months ago. Harden had a significant say in choosing his new team. At his advanced age, he would hardly have joined a team that hadn’t promised him another deal. This is entirely independent of his $42.3 million player option, which he reportedly will not pick up.
For Harden, it’s clear: «I definitely want to be here.» The guard is «100 percent» sure he will play for the Cavs next season. The Cavaliers hardly have any other choice to satisfy Mitchell, who had advocated for the Harden trade. However, those who follow the Cavaliers must hope for a team-friendly and quickly tradable contract.
Kenny Atkinson: Theoretically Successful, Practically Failed
LeBron’s third stint in Ohio thus seems, at first glance, a purely rational dream. The backcourt of Mitchell and Harden will (have to) carry the hopes again next season. Mobley and Allen are likely to continue completing the core. It remains unclear who will support the four from the ‘three-point line’. The forward spot between the two guards and two bigs is not a new problem. Whether the spot belongs to Jaylon Tyson, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Keon Ellis, Sam Merrill, or a newcomer is initially unclear and another question in itself.
Nevertheless, there is fundamental hope that it is possible in the NBA to take the decisive step next year with almost the same roster. The concrete proof of this had recently shot the Cavs out of the arena, as Mitchell philosophized about the Knicks: «The team we just played against had to go through that too. Maybe not in this way, but they’ve also been together for a long time, form a solid core, and had to endure difficult times. Now it’s our turn.»
What Mitchell forgets or deliberately omits in his comparison is that something changed with the Knicks, who failed in the Conference Finals last year – the Head Coach. Despite a strong regular season and their first Conference Finals appearance since 2000, Head Coach Tom Thibodeau was let go. The surprising and bold decision paid off.
Therefore, Kenny Atkinson likely won’t be feeling very secure in his position after this year’s playoffs. It can certainly be argued that the Knicks’ comeback in Game 1 was largely his responsibility. He watched for a long time as Harden was repeatedly outplayed by Brunson. No adjustments, no timeouts. He watched the lead melt away.
His team probably wouldn’t have won the series even if they had stolen Game 1. But Atkinson was frighteningly clearly outcoached by Brown. His team also appeared listless and lacking fighting spirit.
To top it all off, despite being down 0-3, he attributed a 2-1 lead to his team. «Analytically,» of course. However, the image of slightly distorted perception remained. Not a good final impression, when perhaps his dismissal might not be the most difficult, but the easiest path. Will they still take it in Cleveland just to do something?
Altman and Gansey will not be able to avoid all these decisions as easily as Mitchell. These are now all questions they must face.