Cavs Picked To Place Second In East In ESPN’s 2024-25 Win Projections

Not a whole lot of people have the Cavaliers finishing higher than fourth place in the Eastern Conference this season. After all, it’s precisely where they finished in each of the previous two seasons.

Some have them finishing even worse — especially after the Knicks agreed to a trade with the Timberwolves that will deliver star center Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Earlier this summer, the Knicks landed forward Mikal Bridges in a deal with the Nets.

And those moves may not even mean as much as the 76ers acquiring star forward Paul George to pair with center Joel Embiid and guard Tyrese Maxey (as well as incoming forward Caleb Martin, previously of the Heat).

Meanwhile, the Cavs did … nothing. Actually, that’s not really true, as they did hire Kenny Atkinson as the new coach and re-signed Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro.

They just didn’t sign any notable free agents or make any splashy trades. Still, continuity could count for a lot. Just ask Kevin Pelton of ESPN, who put the Cavs at around “50.6” wins in his 2024-25 season projections. That’s second in the Eastern Conference behind only the reigning champion Celtics (52.4 wins, per Pelton).

“The Cavaliers’ decision to prioritize continuity is rewarded in the projections, which have them near their 2022-23 total of 51 wins on average,” Pelton wrote. “One key caveat: Roster fit is among the most important factors not captured in these projections, and how well Cleveland’s stars complement one another is a major storyline that will carry into this season.”

For the record, Pelton picked the Cavs with more “average wins” than the Bucks (46.7), Pacers (46.7), Knicks (45.4), and Sixers (45.2), respectively. Yes, the Knicks projection was made with the Towns trade in mind.

Granted, these are just predictions, and we all know what they say about those. And if not, just know they say that they really don’t mean anything.

But it’s nice to see a national outlet view the Cavaliers as something more than an also-ran, and make a decent supporting point as to why.

With the Cavs about to embark on another season, ESPN is already right about one thing. Namely, you never know what can happen, as what looks great on paper — i.e. some of Cleveland’s opponents — doesn’t always translate to the court.