The Big Question: Can Cleveland's Thin Picks Survive This…

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 17

Cleveland is carrying a $209.0 million payroll, above this season's $200.4 million tax threshold, while its draft capital past 2026 is almost entirely spoken for. A split preseason and three day-to-day injuries leave more open questions than answers five days before the opener at Philadelphia.

Cavaliers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Is this roster actually built to win, or just expensive?

Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley each make $50.1 million, part of a $209.0 million payroll that sits above this season's $200.4 million tax threshold. That spending bought a team that went 52-30 last season with a net rating of +4.1, ninth-best in the league. The real test is whether this same core, one year older, climbs past that mark or just repeats it.

What did the preseason actually prove?

Not much that will hold up. Cleveland lost to Boston 113-124, beat Orlando 119-105, then lost the Magic rematch 116-132. The 119-point night showed the scoring punch is intact; both losses showed a defense that cracked late. None of it carries into the regular season, and Kenny Atkinson still has five days to settle his rotation before Philadelphia.

Why should fans worry about draft picks on a team this good?

Because there's nothing in reserve. Cleveland's first-rounders in 2027, 2028 and 2029 are all swap-protected, its second-rounders in those drafts go to Chicago, Utah and Atlanta, and 2030 stands alone as a pick the franchise fully controls. If Mitchell, Mobley or Allen slow down, there's no cheap young talent waiting to replace them.

How worried should fans be about Merrill, Tomlin and Diop?

Not very, for now. Sam Merrill (elbow), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (back) and Khalifa Diop (knee) are all day-to-day, each with an estimated return of October 22, the same date as the opener at Philadelphia. That timing points to a minor scare, not a long absence, but it's one more thing Atkinson has to manage in a week that already added Tre'Von Spillers to the roster.

So does the spending actually pay off this season?

Last season's 52-30 record and ninth-ranked net rating say the core works; the thin draft cushion says there's no room to be wrong about it. Cleveland chose to bet everything on Mitchell, Mobley, Allen and Harden staying healthy and getting better together, not on finding help underneath them.

The verdictCleveland built a 52-30 team and then spent the offseason adding camp bodies instead of punch, while trading away its margin for error. The record, not the preseason, will say whether that bet was right, starting October 22 in Philadelphia.

Is Darius Garland still on the Cavaliers?

No, Garland is off the current roster, and no trade details have been reported.

When does the Cavaliers' 2026-27 season start?

Cleveland opens the regular season October 22 at the Philadelphia 76ers on ESPN.

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.