August 24, 2026
David Richard/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LeBron James' trips to Cleveland as a member of the Sixers will be appointment viewing.
After acquiring Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the same offseason, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey has set his new team up to be a full-blown championship contender.
The only problem: Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be as competitive as ever.
Over the next two weeks, PhillyVoice will be examining the 10 teams in the Eastern Conference which pose the greatest threats to James, Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and the Sixers.
Up next: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the presumed favorites to land James before he spurned them for the Sixers. The Cavaliers did not just lose out on James this summer; their former general manager, Gansey, is now calling the shots in Philadelphia. So is their defensive ace, Dean Wade.
However, a whole lot of talent remains from one of last year's finalists in the Eastern Conference, with James Harden set to return to Cleveland eventually and rejoin Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, with a new starting wing joining the mix. Is that enough?
SCOUTING THE SIXERS' COMPETITION
Washington Wizards | Orlando Magic | Atlanta Hawks
Miami Heat | Toronto Raptors | Cleveland Cavaliers
It took Harden until August to come to terms on a new deal with Cleveland, but that is because he was waiting to help facilitate whatever other moves the Cavaliers could pull off. He agreed to a three-year deal worth $97 million, a compromise in which Harden took a significant short-term cut in pay and received long-term security in exchange. That decrease in 2026-27 salary helped the Cavaliers secure a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, formerly of the Denver Nuggets:
| Added | Retained | Lost |
| Peyton Watson | James Harden | Max Strus |
| Mario Hezonja | Thomas Bryant | Dennis Schröder |
| Meleek Thomas | Dean Wade | |
| Keon Ellis |
The Cavaliers found themselves in somewhat of a holding pattern as they spent four weeks awaiting James' decision. In the meantime, their top non-Harden free agent went off the board as Wade signed a four-year deal with the Sixers. Keon Ellis, an acquisition at last year's trade deadline, departed for the Brooklyn Nets. Cleveland drafted Meleek Thomas early in the second round and lured Mario Hezonja back to the NBA in efforts to build cost-effective depth.
Ultimately, though, a summer many expected to be chaotic for the Cavaliers in July did not turn eventful until August.
Cleveland salary dumped Dennis Schröder for Tre Mann, which helped them execute the deal sending out Max Strus to land Watson, with the hope that Watson will be the quality young starting wing they have been looking for over the last handful of years. It is a significant gamble – the Cavaliers have shortened their depth quite a bit and gave up an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 to get the deal done – but Watson is an intriguing young player.
SIXERS FILM STUDIES
Jaylen Brown's strengths | Jaylen Brown's weaknesses
Anfernee Simons | Dean Wade | Ariel Hukporti
While Wade was a critical part of Cleveland's defense, he is the only subtraction from the Cavaliers' group of key rotation pieces from a year ago. Harden and Mitchell remain as primary ball-handlers and Mobley and Allen remain as interior anchors.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| James Harden | Donovan Mitchell | Peyton Watson | Evan Mobley | Jarrett Allen |
| Craig Porter Jr. | Sam Merrill | Jaylon Tyson | Mario Hezonja | Thomas Bryant |
| Tyrese Proctor | Nae'Qwan Tomlin | |||
| Meleek Thomas |
The question, as always: how many wings in between those tandems can the Cavaliers trust?
That question constantly being asked was likely the primary motivation behind Cleveland's pursuit of Watson, the clear favorite to start given what the Cavaliers invested in him. At times last season, Jaylon Tyson looked like a breakout player on the wing, the sort of two-way force the Cavaliers badly need. Tyson had a career-best performance in Philadelphia last season and should see more opportunities with Wade gone. Merrill is an extremely reliable shooter, but his poor size makes him lineups also featuring Harden and Mitchell.
One of Thomas, Craig Porter Jr. or Tyrese Proctor stepping up and serving as a reliable bench guard would be a boon for this team; right now Cleveland lacks reliable ball-handling off the bench. Adding another steady big would be helpful, as an injury to Mobley or Allen would put a ton of pressure on journeyman Thomas Bryant right now.
MORE: Mike Gansey talks Jaylen Brown trade and LeBron James signing
The only former member of the Sixers on the 2026-27 Cavaliers, of course, is Harden, whose tenure in Philadelphia is largely remembered for his and the Sixers' playoff failures. As nightmarish of a performance as Harden posted in his final game with the team – a blowout Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the second round – he carried the team to multiple wins in that series, leading a Joel Embiid-less group in Game 1 and knocking down a game-winning triple in Game 4.
Otherwise, the connections between these two teams are now in Philadelphia, between the Sixers' new shot-caller in Gansey, his first free-agency signing as a lead executive in Wade and his most significant signing in James.
SIXERS SIGN LEBRON JAMES
James' decision | Projecting Sixers' rotation | James' impact, on and off the court
