Cavaliers Included In Favorable Tier In New NBA Power Rankings

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been busy this offseason, but so have many other teams around the NBA.

However, Law Murray of The Athletic still views the Wine and Gold as one of the top teams in the league.

In the analyst's latest power rankings, he identified the Cavaliers as the third-best team in the league and placed them in his top tier, the "top contenders."

The other teams included in this level are the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets.

Murray praised the Cavaliers' trade for Lonzo Ball, noting the guard's addition "should help Cleveland account for the loss of key reserve Ty Jerome while giving Cleveland a player who can handle the ball, pass, shoot, and make plays defensively. Ball might be needed a lot early in the season with All-Star point guard Darius Garland recovering from surgery on his toe."

Mar 23, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) give interview after the game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

With the Cavaliers experiencing another premature playoff exit in the core-four era, it would be easy to drop them out of the top tier until they show more postseason success.

However, Murray acknowledged the moves Cleveland's front office made to address what appeared to be the roster's shortcomings, which should once again solidify them as a true championship threat.

That said, the analyst does believe, "Cleveland could stand to add another player or two to help protect against injury to the frontcourt and wing."

This point is incredibly fair considering Ball and Larry Nance Jr.'s injury history.

The Cavaliers do still have an open roster spot with some intriguing free agents left, so Cleveland still has an opportunity to fortify their depth.

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