Cavaliers Fire JB Bickerstaff

The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired head coach JB Bickerstaff. 

Bickerstaff went 170-159 in the regular season and 6-11 in the playoffs with the Cavaliers. 

ESPN Sources: The Cleveland Cavaliers dismissed coach JB Bickerstaff on Thursday. Bickerstaff led Cavs to conference semifinals and won 99 regular-season games in past two years, but change comes with hope of advancing deeper. pic.twitter.com/fxl7FJPdQ9

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2024

The Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2024 playoffs in five games after beating the Orlando Magic in the first round in seven games. 

According to NBA insiders Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Cavaliers star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell didn’t have great confidence in Bickerstaff. 

“League sources briefed on the Cavaliers’ mindset told The Athletic that Bickerstaff’s job is in serious jeopardy after five and a half years as head coach, following the team’s season-ending loss in Game 5 of the second round to the Celtics,” Charania, Vardon and Lloyd wrote. “Two league sources said the team is likely to take some time — multiple days — to make a decision. … Multiple league sources have said, for months, that Mitchell did not have great confidence in Bickerstaff, and he was not alone.

“Several players questioned Bickerstaff’s strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures, privately and publicly, throughout the season.”

The Cavaliers almost fired Bickerstaff during the regular season, sources told Hoops Wire.

Cavaliers president Koby Altman admonished Bickerstaff in front of his entire staff for playing Mitchell heavy minutes against the Houston Rockets on December 18, per The Athletic. 

Mitchell can sign an extension for up to four years and around $200 million this offseason. He has a player option worth $37 million for the 2025-26 season.

One of the top scorers in the NBA, Mitchell can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025 if he declines that player option. 

If Mitchell becomes a free agent in 2025, he is eligible to sign for a max of five years and $269.9 million with the team that holds his Bird rights (the Cavaliers now) or four years, $200.1 million with a new team.

The Cavaliers are optimistic Mitchell will sign an extension with them this summer.