East Notes: Cavs, Kenny Atkinson, Magic, Nets

Cavaliers

The Cavaliers seem to believe the coaching change to Kenny Atkinson will be the biggest role in their improvement, but that may be an iffy proposition, per David Alrdidge of The Athletic.

“From the moment the Cavs acquired Donovan Mitchell from Utah in 2022, NBA Twitter and its varying knockoffs have been picking out the drapes for Mitchell’s next destination –almost always Madison Square Garden. Oh, how Knicks fans believed Mitchell would ultimately be theirs,” Aldridge wrote. “But, he won’t be — and he’ll be eligible for a monster five-year extension from the Cavs in 2027.

“Add Evan Mobley‘s and Jarrett Allen‘s extensions, and it’s a major win for Cavs ownership and management, which now has a real window with their talented core of Mitchell, Mobley, Darius Garland and Allen.

“For markets like Cleveland, Milwaukee, Indiana and Utah, that’s all you can ask. I’m not sure changing coaches will have that big an impact, but Cleveland clearly believes it will.”

• One analyst believes Garland will be the Cavs’ biggest X-factor next season, as we relayed here.
• Meanwhile, the Cavs seem to be banking on a full year from guard Ty Jerome will offer the backcourt assistance they need off the bench. We have that full story here.

Magic

The Magic return all their key players and even added some, making their offseason one worth noting, per Aldridge.

“Orlando keeps adding pieces, and they all make sense and fit the ones that arrived before,” Aldridge wrote. “Kentavious Caldwell-Pope brings championship experience and consistent 3-point shooting (five straight seasons at 39 percent or better since 2019-20). He’s the ideal low-maintenance vet who can still hoop.

“Orlando used much of its remaining cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Jonathan Isaac, a key part of the Magic’s deep and disruptive defense (a position-best 4.1 estimated defensive plus-minus among power forwards last season, per Dunks and Threes). Paying Isaac now will allow the Magic to pay Paolo Banchero later, when he’s due for a max rookie extension alongside Franz Wagner‘s.”

Again, it’s been a decent summer overall for a team that was one of the NBA’s most pleasant surprises last season.

“The Magic have covered all the bases: drafting well, hiring and backing a great young coach in Jamahl Mosley, making smart trades and keeping their books clean until the team was good enough to attract a legit vet like KCP,” Aldridge added.

• A contract extension for Jalen Suggs may be the next order of business. “In an offseason that has seen the Magic make calculated moves aimed at solidifying a spot near the top of the Eastern Conference — they’re public about it, too — an extension for Suggs is perhaps the last thing on this summer’s checklist,” wrote Mason Williams of SI.com.

Nets

The Nets traded forward Mikal Bridges to the Knicks, and hey, that’s not all bad. In fact, Brooklyn’s offseason makes good sense, according to Aldridge.

“I love what the Nets did,” Aldridge wrote. “They hit the reset button by dealing Bridges to the Knicks, ignoring the silly ‘we can’t trade with our crosstown rivals’ nonsense. In doing so, they made the best possible deal for their franchise.

“By getting four unprotected firsts from New York, another 2025 first from New York via the Bucks (top-four protected) and reacquiring their own 2025 and 2026 firsts from the Rockets in a second, equally huge deal, Brooklyn has gone all-in on the ’25 and ’26 drafts — which, I think we all know by now, are going to be pretty good.

“The Nets now control four first-rounders in 2025, and again have their own 2025 second. The expectations for next season, with a rookie head coach, are now zero. The 2025 draft is where the fun begins.”

• The Nets will be able to “bring a lot of unexpected” in their lineup and rotations next season, wrote Jeremy Brenner of SI.com.