Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson is expected to return for a third season leading the team — along with his entire staff and the current front office remaining intact — despite the Cavs’ disastrous Eastern Conference Finals performance against the New York Knicks, per multiple reports.
Atkinson’s seat grew increasingly warmer as the eventual 4-0 sweep wore on. It began with his refusal to call a timeout as the Knicks went on a 30-8 run in the fourth quarter of Game 1 to force overtime and eventually beat the Cavs in backbreaking fashion. From there, the Cavs struggled to find answers for a Knicks team on a historic run of postseason dominance, and his comments after Game 3 about how the team outperformed New York analytically in two of the games only added to the frustration in Cleveland.
However, despite getting swept, Atkinson will remain on the job, and the Cavs reportedly aren’t planning any major organizational changes. What happens with the roster remains to be seen, but all indications point to James Harden being back alongside Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt with a new contract that drops the Cavs under the second apron.
From there, all bets are off when it comes to the futures of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The latter would be their best trade chip in spite of uneven playoff performances in his young career, and if Cleveland is going to make a serious roster shake-up, Mobley offers the best chance to make a splash.
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Sam Quinn
The other option is to stay the course. Running back the same group with the same coach wouldn’t be the most inspiring summer for Cavs fans, particularly after they’ve tried that a few times in recent summers to no avail. That said, the past few Eastern Conference champions have had to take their lumps with an ECF loss before breaking through, and the Cavs could try pointing to the Knicks team they just beat (and the Pacers team from 24-25) as examples of patience with a group paying off.
Whatever path they choose, the pressure on Atkinson, GM Koby Altman and the organization to deliver next year will be immense. After watching numerous fellow East contenders pass them by, Cavs fans will expect to have that breakthrough moment themselves in 2027.
