The Cavs went all in at the trade deadline with the Darius Garland for James Harden swap, and also picked up a few other strong rotation players in Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. We’re only three games in with the new look roster, but it’s already beginning to look like the Cavaliers should be taken very seriously as championship contenders.

New Additions Thriving Early

James Harden has been able to fit in anywhere he’s gone throughout his NBA career, and it’s looking like his time in Cleveland will not change that. Harden is averaging 19.3 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in his first three games with the Cavs, and he’s doing this without any practice with the team yet. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has been able to keep at least one of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden on the floor at all times, ensuring the team always has an elite ball handler on the floor. Dennis Schroder has come in off the bench to take pressure off of whichever star guard remains on the floor. With those three guards in the rotation, the Cavs offense will be able to play at a high level at all times throughout the rest of the season. Defensively, it’s been a struggle early on as a team, but Keon Ellis has shown that he can be a very good perimeter defender for the team off the bench.

Jarrett Allen Is Playing Lights Out

The biggest part of the Cavaliers recent success has been Jarrett Allen playing at an incredibly high level. Allen has averaged 24 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while shooting an insane 77% from the field since Harden’s arrival. The pick and roll between those two has been nearly unstoppable for defenses. Allen has always been a great finisher throughout his career, and Harden is one of the greatest playmakers of all time, so this has been a match made in heaven offensively.

Reinforcements Are On The Way

Cleveland’s biggest flaws in their recent run have been the defense and rebounding. Thankfully, the team should be getting its reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley back after the all-star break. Adding in Mobley to a lineup that’s already rolling is a scary thought. He would be the anchor of the defense, and his offensive game should open up even more now with James Harden running the show. The Cavaliers can also expect to get Dean Wade back soon to provide even more size defensively, and while his timeline is not as clear as Mobley’s and Wade’s, Max Strus is expected to return this season as well. When all three of these guys are present, the Cavs will be the most talented team in the Eastern Conference.

The Outlook For 2026

With all of these things going right for Cleveland, it also helps that they have one of the easiest schedules in the NBA for the rest of the year. The Cavs only play five teams with a winning record the rest of the season, and since they are only a game and a half behind the Boston Celtics for the two seed in the East, it seems very likely that the team will occupy one of the top seeds in the conference. As long as the Cavaliers can stay healthy for the rest of this season, they have a very clear path to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2018. With James Harden in the late stages of his career, this could be his last shot to cement his legacy as one of the all time greats, and it could be Cleveland’s best chance to win its first championship since 2016.