The Cleveland Cavaliers have risen to the top of the Eastern Conference once again. The last time the Cavs sported the first seed was all the way back in 2016. That team was led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and won a historic championship against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. If history repeats itself, the Cavaliers could be hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy once again. Only time can tell if that happens, but it’s important to know how the Cavs got here. Through careful teambuilding and trusting in their players, the Cavaliers have built one of the best rosters in the NBA.
After a terrible 19-63 record in the 2018-19 season, the Cavaliers received the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Cavs were looking for the best talent possible after losing LeBron James in free agency in 2018. Darius Garland was still left on the board after four picks, so they drafted him to the team. Garland had a good rookie season, but not good enough to improve the Cavaliers’ record. The Cavs finished 19-46 and sat as the worst team in the Eastern Conference. They got the fifth pick in the draft once again, and drafted Isaac Okoro. Adding another promising rookie to the roster as well as developing their existing talent helped the Cavs get out of the bottom tier of teams.
The 2020-21 season was a pivotal season in the future of the Cavaliers. The season started off normal, until drama between James Harden and the Houston Rockets got ugly. James Harden was purposefully sitting out games and demanded a trade from the team. The Cavs saw this as their golden ticket to acquire a center to build around Darius Garland. In the trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, the Cavs received Jarrett Allen from the Nets. Jarrett Allen was the Nets’ young center that had shown All-Star potential. The Cavs’ young core of players had really started to blossom into a team with real playoff aspirations. The Cavs still finished the year near the bottom of the standings, but this was just another opportunity to draft more talent to the team.
The Cavaliers had a great 2021 NBA draft. The Cavs jumped up two spots from their projected position in the draft and drafted Evan Mobley with the third overall pick. Mobley was a dynamic forward/center that had incredible defensive potential. Although his playstyle conflicted with Jarrett Allen, the Cavs hoped they would be able to play well with each other. Mobley came out the gate with an amazing rookie season and came in second place for Rookie of the Year. Also, Darius Garland and Jarret Allen made their first All-Star teams. All of this got them to the eighth seed in the East. Before the actual playoffs, they would have to enter the play-in tournament, a postseason event to give lower seeded teams a chance at the playoffs. They would have to win one of their two games to keep their spot in the playoffs. The Cavs tried their best, but their complete lack of playoff experience slowed them down. They lost both games and dropped out of the playoffs entirely.
The Cavaliers were invigorated after their embarrassment in the play-in. They felt they had a strong roster, but not a true number one option to lead the team. The Cavs sat in the shadows waiting to pounce on any star that became available for trade. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz had become increasingly upset with the Jazz organization. The Jazz had made deep playoff runs, but would ultimately lose right before the finish line. Mitchell felt the best years of his career were being wasted trying to contend with this team. Eventually, Mitchell convinced the front office to trade him and the rest of their good players to start a rebuild. Mitchell was traded to the Cavs for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, and five first round picks. This move was a big risk for the Cavs, but it needed to be done to contend for a championship. The Cavaliers finished with the fourth seed in their first year with Mitchell, a massive improvement from the year before. The team still had some problems, but the team was new and not used to each other yet. The Cavs had to face the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks were a formidable team, with a large amount of experience. This would prove to be the downfall of the Cavs this year, with them losing to the Knicks in five games.
The Cavaliers were frustrated with their early exit in the previous seasons’ playoffs, but they knew the team just needed more time together to build chemistry. The Cavs made some minor moves to improve the roster, but nothing significant. They ended up as the fourth seed once again. This time they matched up with a young Orlando Magic team in the first round. The Cavs had finally gotten some playoff experience and it was the Magic’s first time in the last few years. The Cavs managed to beat the Magic in a tough seven games. Next, they were set to play the title favorite Celtics. No one thought Cleveland really had a chance, but they tried nonetheless. The Celtics eliminated them in five games. After this loss, people started to wonder if this Cavs team could ever get over hump. They had two small guards that were not great defenders, and two centers that hogged up the paint. Rumors of the Cavs blowing up the team to rebuild started circulating. The Cavs began to consider offers, but decided to go for one last run before considering dismantling the team.
In the 2024-25 season, the Cavs came out guns blazing. They went on a fifthteen game win streak to start the season, tied for the second most in NBA history. No could believe the bounce-back the Cavs had from last season. The Cavs continued to dominate, and secured them the first seed in the East far above anybody else. Everything was functioning well in the team and all the players began to mesh well with each other. They made a big trade at the 2025 trade deadline to acquire De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks. This will fill in their starting small forward position and give them a good wing defender to guard the great forwards on the Boston Celtics. The playoffs are just around the corner and the Cavs are favorites to win it all.
There’s no way to know what the future of the Cavaliers holds, but the Cavs look like a title contender for years to come.
