Could this season be Cleveland Cavaliers' last chance at title?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going into the upcoming season with an urgency to win basketball games.

They won 64 last season and claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but it only resulted in a second-round exit at the hands of the eventual league runner-up Indiana Pacers. The Athletic insider Fred Katz questions whether or not the Cavs core will be able to stick together beyond this upcoming season.

"The Cavs don’t have bad contracts. This is simply the way of the new NBA. Compile enough good players who are compensated fairly, and the financial situation eventually becomes untenable," Katz wrote.

"[Donovan] Mitchell and [Evan] Mobley both make more than $50 million in 2026-27, when [Jarrett] Allen’s recently signed extension kicks in, bumping his salary up to $28 million. [Darius] Garland will earn $42 million. De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus are on the books for eight figures. The Cavs, as the roster stands now, would blow past the second apron once again next season.

"It’s possible, if not likely, their last chance to win with this group is now."

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell during media day at Rocket Arena. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cavs becoming expensive to keep together

Now that Mobley's contract is approaching its first season of the supermax deal, the Cavs don't have much more money to spend. The team has a championship-caliber core, but it hasn't seen those results come to fruition.

Even when teams do come together to win like the Boston Celtics, the mighty eventually fall.

"Cleveland is nearly $40 million above the luxury tax line," Katz wrote. "Who would have thought that piecing together four All-Stars — in this case, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — could get so expensive?

"And in today’s NBA, teams don’t remain this pricey for long, especially if they don’t play into June.

"Look at the offseason renovations in Boston. Tatum tore his Achilles. The Celtics, in turn, tore themselves apart. Their payroll had crested above the dreaded second apron for too many years to endure a season without title hopes."

Now that the Cavs have a year of Kenny Atkinson being head coach under their belt, the team can grow in his vision of what the team should look like at its peak.

If the Cavs can find a way to get better, they may have a chance at salvaging a championship. It won't be easy for the team given its financial struggles, but things could be worth it if they can find a way to win.