Three New Years resolutions for the Cleveland Cavaliers headed into 2026

The Cleveland Cavaliers were riding a fun high a year ago today.

On December 31, 2024, the Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 122 to 110. The win marked their eighth consecutive win and their 12th win in 13 games. The win against Los Angeles brought their win-loss record at the time to 29-4. The eight-game win streak ended up becoming a 12-game win streak. The Cavs finished this regular season with 64 wins and just 17 losses.

The Cavaliers ended up losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers in just five games. Fast forward a year later and Cleveland is just three games above .500 with a win-loss record of 19-16. Cleveland's core of starters are still in tact. Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen along with their head coach Kenny Atkinson are all still in the building.

Despite health, there's a few things Cleveland can do on and off the court to increase their odds of doing well in the postseason.

Find more offensive depth and versatility on the bench

"Getting healthy" is the obvious resolution, but it's not something Cleveland can expedite if they wanted too. When players are healthy, they'll play. There are other aspects of this Cleveland team that need focusing on.

The Cavaliers rank No. 28 in bench points per game. Lonzo Ball was meant to replace Ty Jerome as the backup point guard, but Ball is not as much of a scorer as Jerome was and Jerome wasn't as much of a facilitator as Ball is.

President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman needs to pair Ball with a shot creator. Sam Merill, Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson, and Dean Wade do not create much of their own offense. The Cavaliers should have someone like Ty Jerome or Collin Sexton to shoulder the offense workload when Garland and Mitchell are off the court.

Cleveland does not want to keep relying on Mitchell's heroics for half of their offensive production every game. They also need a solidified back up center to collect 20 minutes or more per game. Their only true backup center, Thomas Bryant, is averaging 9.5 minutes this season. Larry Nance Jr. can play power forward and center, but he's been out of action since November 28.

Move De'Andre Hunter and Dean Wade

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not a finished product. Even when healthy, there are clear holes in the team that weren't present a year ago when the team won 64 games and it's not just Ty Jerome. The Cavaliers have too many players who offensively specialize in taking standing three-pointers. Hunter and Wade easily have the most trade-friendly contracts on the roster. Hunter and Wade are going to be the keys that open more opportunities for Altman on the trade market.

Hunter isn't offensively versatile and consistent enough to rotate in and out of the starting lineup. The emergence of Jaylon Tyson has made Hunter expendable, especially considering Hunter's $23 million salary for the next two seasons. Moving off of these two for more players that suit Cleveland's needs would be a step in the right direction.

Solidify the three spot

The Cavaliers could start Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen for the next few seasons if they'd like too. The final wing spot has been a revolving door of players since Mitchell was the last of the four to be acquired in 2022. Cleveland expected Hunter to take that role when he was acquired in February 2025, but it hasn't panned out that way.

REPORT: There are people within the Cavs who believe the “best version” of their offense comes when they run things through their bigs, per @ChrisFedor pic.twitter.com/g522TrzNh7
— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) January 1, 2026

Second-year forward out of California Jaylon Tyson looks to be the man for the job, but it could still be early to tell. Tyson is averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals while shooting 52.2% from the field and 45.4% from three-point range.

Those efficiency splits for Tyson are almost 10% more than Hunter in those same tow categories. Hunter is averaging slightly more minutes and almost two more three-point attempts this season.

Strus will also have a chance to earn his spot back when he returns from injury, but for the sake of chemistry and consistency, Atkinson should hand the small forward keys over to Tyson in 2026.