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"Do you have a sense for who those teams are, who are the real contenders if LeBron doesn't come back?" Ramona Shelburne: "For me, it's pretty simple. It's either the Lakers, Cleveland, or Golden State. I would be really surprised if it's not one of those three. I think there's other teams that would make sense, but I don't see those as realistic."
Legion Hoops: Kyrie on the 2016 Cavs reunion: “All for one. One for all. WE completed the mission together as brothers, and that's all that matters to me…”
On Friday, June 19, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in partnership with the City of Cleveland and Downtown Cleveland Inc., hosted the grand opening of the 2016 NBA Championship commemorative outdoor basketball court at Meet Me Here Plaza. Located across from Rocket Arena on Huron Road between East 4th Street and Ontario Street, the reimagined plaza features a new outdoor basketball court, walkways and seating designed to bring people together before, during and beyond Cavaliers game nights.
In a joint Instagram post Wednesday between James, Smith, Thompson and Frye, the caption read: "The group chat finally linked up." Another joint post between Jefferson, Love, Thompson and Frye included a video of Thompson delivering drinks to the group on the course, captioned: "We all have roles."
Notably absent was Kyrie Irving, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer for Cleveland in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Smith seemingly addressed Irving's absence, commenting on a post about the reunion: "Missing none. He was invited and ghosted us all. So stop with that bs."
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Speaking on Pivot Podcast, Smith explained his thought process during the final seconds of regulation. After grabbing an offensive rebound with the score tied late in the fourth quarter, Smith said he expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to call a timeout and organize a final possession. “I got the rebound. I’m thinking we’re going to call a timeout because at that point the game is possessional,” Smith said. Smith said his intention was to avoid forcing a difficult shot and create a better opportunity for James, who had scored 49 points in the game and carried Cleveland throughout the night. “I’m thinking, okay, bet. We’re not about to rush. We’re going to get the best shot possible. Any other time, you get the rebound, call timeout, get it to your best player and let them make the play,” Smith said.
Instead, Smith said he did not hear a whistle and believed play would continue. With Golden State forward Kevin Durant defending near him, Smith decided to dribble away from the basket rather than attempt a contested shot. “I didn’t hear no whistle. So I’m like, alright, I’m going to take this to the corner. Let me get some space. KD’s seven foot. I ain’t about to shoot over this dude when he right here,” Smith said. Smith then explained that he believed the Warriors were denying James the ball, so he attempted to create space and eventually get the ball back to Cleveland’s star. “It looked like they were trying to deny LeBron. So I’m dribbling it out to get the ball to LeBron,” Smith said.
But considering the superstar guard's staggering value he may get for next year, Brian Windhorst of ESPN suggested that everyone should not be shocked if Mitchell ultimately passes on what he can get this summer. "I think the Cavs and Donovan are in a very good place, and I think everybody should be prepared the eventuality that he does not extend [this year]," Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. "He is in maximum control, maximum benefit, maximum choice, maximum leverage situation. "He has one year left on his contract and next year, he can sign with all of those goodies to come along with a brand new contract because it's a 10-year veteran. And if something goes wrong in this year, he has a player option that can protect him for the year after."
Brian Windhorst on Evan Mobley: "He is highly valued in the league. Obviously, he is a bit of a complex player making the supermax. If you look at him without his salary, you see a tremendous versatile defensive player who is super talented on offense but inconsistent. When you see these got the supermax attached, it makes you feel a certain way about him and gives him less grace when he doesn't have aggressive moments. But no, he is very highly valued in the NBA and he is very highly valued in Cleveland, quite obviously."
"The most recent thing I've heard with the Cavs is they're looking to shave off some salary. I think primarily they may be investigating if they could move Dennis Schroeder," - @WindhorstESPN on the latest Cavs rumors 👀👀👀
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James drew an eye-opening comparison to ChatGPT from former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Iman Shumpert, the 3-and-D guard with whom he won a title back in 2016. “He is ChatGPT of the NBA, bro. This the best way I can describe [him]. He's ChatGPT. That's Bron. You can ask him anything, he know. He know the assistant coaches, he know the player development. He is really programmed for this,” Shumpert said in an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, via @Ankara_inc on X (formerly Twitter).
Mike Vorkunov: Mike Brown is on his 5th HC job in the NBA. He's had a pretty good run. In 2007, Cavaliers best season ever at the time (66 wins and the finals). In 2023, Kings have their best season in 18 years (48 wins + playoffs). In 2026, Knicks have their best season in 53 years (first NBA title since 1973).
New Magic coach Sean Sweeney will make his preseason debut inside Kia Center on Oct. 13 when Orlando hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Magic announced Monday morning they will play two preseason home games in 2026. Orlando will also host the Miami Heat on Oct. 16, the team said. Both home preseason games will start at 7 p.m., the Magic said.
