The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to refuse to tweak their core around Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. That could prove to be a huge miscalculation.
Looking back at this offseason, there's going to be little to criticize the Cleveland Cavaliers about. However, there's a chance they could still be making a huge mistake. Even though the Cavs did well by securing a contract extension from Donovan Mitchell, the team's inactivity elsewhere has to be at least somewhat concerning.
Considering how disappointing their regular season was a year ago, and the fact that they barely escaped a grueling seven-game series against the upstart Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, many would've expected that changes were going to be on the horizon for the team. That hasn't played out at all this summer.
Instead, from all indications, it seems as if the Cavs are more than happy to enter next season with essentially the same roster (and a new head coach). That could end up being a huge miscalculation by the team.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' don't want to make a bold move
According to recent reporting, the Cavs continue to rebuff any trade talks centered around Darius Garland and/or Jarrett Allen. I'd argue this is a mistake considering how much better the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers are (on paper) than the Cavs.
With a clear need to upgrade their roster, Cleveland has elected to not explore that idea. Instead, the team is betting that new head coach Kenny Atkinson is going to get more out of this core than J.B. Bickerstaff was able to. I'm not sure if that's a smart play.
If they wanted, the Cavs could retool their core to fit alongside Mitchell and Mobley better. Instead, Cleveland is looking to ride out this next level of development with the same core that disappointed a year ago.
I suppose the Cavs are young enough that they could still trade Allen and/or Garland at the NBA Trade Deadline or next offseason. However, essentially punting away a season (due to insanity) is not a great idea for a front office that may already be on thin ice with their superstar. Cleveland needs to take advantage of a bought-in Mitchell. I'm not sure if running it back with essentially the same roster is the best tactic for a team that still is considered a part of the second or third tier in the East.