The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent big before, and this year is no different. After years of banking on Donovan Mitchell’s explosive scoring and their ‘core four,’ GM Koby Altman and the front office pulled off an intriguing move, bringing Lonzo Ball to a team knee-deep in the second-apron. The franchise is spending approximately $400 million on its roster now, and if the recent moves are anything to go by,  the Cavs are altering how they intend to build or run around their star player.

Brian Windhorst broke it down on ESPN Cleveland and admitted that he was surprised by the team’s latest move. “Lonzo, for sure. That was a real gutsy move by the Cavs. They took a guy in Okoro, who played a key role for them, and said goodbye to their Sixth Man of the Year candidate.” Their letting go of breakout player Ty Jerome and former top-five pick Isaac Okoro wasn’t just a matter of losing talent…

Cleveland is desperate to get under the second apron, which suffocates even the big-market teams, but they’re not cutting any corners. They’re gambling on one of their weakest links: perimeter defense to support Mitchell and more size to compete with the elite wings in the East. The Cavs effectively turned Okoro, Jerome, and Tristan Thompson into Lonzo Ball, Sam Merril, and Larry Nance Jr.: a bold trade-off that sacrifices depth in favor of a new identity to commit to. It’s as Windhorst explained:

“Size, defense, and still maintain good shooting.” With Lonzo Ball making his long-awaited return last season, he demonstrated an ability to initiate offense and relieve pressure from his backcourt partners. Meanwhile, Kenny Atkinson’s arrival as head coach turned the Cavs into an offense-led dynamo. Now, Windhorst has indicated Atkinson “will lean more into size,” and his rotations from preseason already hint at a bigger and more physical frontline built to relieve Mitchell of having to carry possessions on his own.

The Cavs’ offseason plan also revolved around health management. Ball himself revealed he’ll be limited to around 20 minutes per night to start the season and won’t play back-to-backs early on, a decision tied to his knee recovery and wrist sprain from last year. Darius Garland, recovering from toe surgery, is expected to miss the start of the season, meaning Ball could fill in as a starter during the early stretch. But, the shift in identity starts in the frontcourt, which Windhorst says will be a significant part of their season.

“They now can mix and match with size throughout their rotation, because you obviously have Dean Wade, you have three backup bigs — Wade, Nance, and Thomas Bryant. And again, Thomas Bryant may not be in the lineup from day one, but I feel he’s going to be a rotation player,” he said.

Bryant, who joined from Denver after a title run in 2023, has struggled with consistency in the preseason but brings championship experience and a reliable pick-and-pop three-point shot. Dean Wade, meanwhile, remains under pressure to produce more consistently after another uneven preseason, while Atkinson has praised Ball’s leadership and ability to guide young guards Tyrese Proctor and Craig Porter Jr.

Kenny Atkinson’s newfound frontcourt depth gives him flexibility, something Cleveland has lacked in their forwards and centers since Donovan Mitchell‘s arrival. “He has better backup big men options than they did a year ago,” Windhorst added, highlighting how Nance’s versatility and Bryant’s experience could help stabilize a lineup that leaned small last season.

Still, Cleveland’s goals are far larger than regular-season wins. The Cavs won 64 games last year, claiming the East’s top seed, but fell short again in the playoffs, their second straight second-round exit. With the East’s landscape altered by injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, the Cavs enter 2025–26 as clear favorites alongside the Knicks. Yet inside the organization, it’s “Finals or bust.” Another early exit could mean roster reshuffling, with Jarrett Allen and even Garland potentially on the trade block.

How Lonzo Ball’s Fit Could Redefine Donovan Mitchell’s Cavs

Kenny Atkinson’s fingerprints on the offense have been visible since last season. The Cavs’ rotation, dominated by shooting-heavy lineups, is now built around length. With the midseason arrival of De’Andre Hunter and now Nance from this offseason, they can now go big without losing the spacing, which was central to their success last year.

“Hunter, having played a bunch of minutes at four, is going to be needed for more minutes at three because of no Max Strus and Isaac Okoro was traded,” Brian Windhorst explained. The trade forces the Cavs into a more balanced mold that complements Mitchell’s strengths instead of overextending them.

That’s where Lonzo Ball, who’s on a $20 million extension, comes in.

While he might not start, his passing expertise and defensive acumen change how the Cavs’ bench lineups attack. With Nance and Bryant in the frontcourt and Ball pressuring the perimeter, Atkinson now gains the ability to move towards a physical, switching heavy defense to keep their starters fresher in crunch time. Lonzo’s IQ makes him a low-cost, high-upside replacement for Ty Jerome, but only if he stays healthy.

Team President Koby Altman emphasized that the Cavs don’t need Ball to outperform Jerome or Okoro—they just need him available when it matters. After three straight years of playoff heartbreaks, Cleveland’s focus is on April through June, not October. The coaching staff has tailored Ball’s workload to keep him healthy for the postseason, while Altman has also urged Mitchell and Evan Mobley to take on larger playmaking roles in his absence. Windhorst summed it up:

“It’s a gamble… Lonzo could get hurt, and we could have egg on our face.” For a team paying almost $400 million to stay competitive, there’s no room for safe choices. It’s all about calculated risk, and the new variables in their formula could finally unlock a version of Donovan Mitchell and Co. that can carry strongly into May.

If it works, this season could be the breakthrough that Cleveland has waited for since the LeBron era. But if the gamble fails, the cost of another early exit might not just be financial, but also shake up the very core of the Cavaliers.

Cavaliers’ Predicted Starting Lineup for NewYork Knicks: Garland, Mitchell, Hunter, Mobley, Allen.