The Biggest Mistake Cleveland Cavaliers Can’t Afford To Repeat This Offseason

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to have an aggressive offseason and can't ignore an intangible characteristic in the players they will be targeting.

Oct 2, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman talks to the media during media day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers were swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the New York Knicks.

The Cavaliers are bringing back head coach Kenny Atkinson, according to several reports. Atkinson won NBA coach of the year during his first season with the team and got the Cavaliers to the conference finals in his second year. 

But there’s one glaring mistake that the Cavs can’t afford to repeat this offseason.

The Cavs can’t ignore championship mindsets.

Returning Atkinson makes logical sense, as he’s made incremental progress with this team since arriving in Cleveland. But Atkinson’s remarks about “analytical wins” completely missed the mark. So did veteran point guard James Harden’s postgame remarks after Game 4, where the 36-year-old believed the Cavs were better than the Knicks despite getting swept.

This shows a locker room that lacks accountability. This offseason, the Cavs must add players that bring a championship identity.

Harden is a serial playoff underachiever. He’s made the postseason every year of his legendary 17-year career but an NBA title eludes him. Harden reverts to an ugly brand of isolation basketball when the lights are the brightest and he turns the ball over at an awful clip.

Donovan Mitchell and Atkinson weren’t capable of overcoming Harden’s mistakes. Mitchell is a definite top 15 player in the NBA, but just got out of the conference semifinals for the first time in his career.

Who should the Cavs target this offseason?

The Cavs decided they were on Mitchell’s timeline to win a championship when they allowed their roster to get a decade older by trading Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for Harden.

But Harden doesn’t have what it takes to win a championship. Neither does Mitchell.

Even though it would result in the Cavs getting significantly older, president of basketball operations Koby Altman should pursue a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and LeBron James in free agency.

Last offseason, the Cavs tried to keep the core intact by improving on the margins. They added Larry Nance Jr. and Lonzo Ball, two players that didn’t move the needle at all. This summer, the Cavaliers have to be way more aggressive to find impact players that can contribute in the postseason.

Antetokounmpo’s situation with the Milwaukee Bucks has soured, and it feels like a trade is on the horizon this summer. According to reports, the Bucks reached out to Altman about swapping Evan Mobley for Antetokounmpo and the Cavaliers declined. Even though Mobley was one of Cleveland’s more consistent players in the postseason, Antetokounmpo has won two MVPs and a championship with the Bucks that proves he has the mindset required to get over the hump.

Cavs fans know as well as any fanbase the expectations that come along with having LeBron on the roster. Even at age 41, the expectation would be for the Cavaliers to win the championship if James returned to Cleveland for a farewell tour.

But perhaps Cleveland’s locker room needs that sense of urgency, as they were oftentimes too relaxed and didn’t approach the game with a pressure cooker mentality. James holds everyone to a higher standard and would bring a much-needed championship mindset to the Cavs this summer.