Cleveland’s forecast for the offseason is murky as multiple building block players and coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s future with the Cavaliers appear murky.
After being eliminated by the Celtics in five games in the second round Wednesday, Bickerstaff’s future is in “serious jeopardy,” according to The Athletic.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cavaliers plan to take time to evaluate Bickerstaff’s future, but the “organization remains fond of him” after four-plus seasons as head coach.
Further compounding issues is the drama surrounding star Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell “grew frustrated with some teammates’ lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness, and a willingness to listen,” Cleveland.com reported.
This would seem to be laying the foundation for Mitchell opting out of his contract at the end of next season and becoming an unrestricted free agent.
The report notes that if there’s an indication that Mitchell has a wandering eye, Cleveland would have to consider trading him rather than lose him for nothing in free agency.
At which point, several teams, including the Nets and Lakers, are said to have their “trade offers ready” for Mitchell if he tells the Cavaliers that he will not be resigning this offseason.
It would appear that there are multiple disgruntled voices in and around the team after a frustrating season came to a close, and that the Bickerstaff-Mitchell pairing may not be built to last.
The Athletic reported that team president Koby Altman “admonished” Bickerstaff in front of the entire staff, criticizing him for playing Mitchell such heavy minutes.
Mitchell averaged 39.7 minutes per game in three games against the Celtics before he was injured with a calf strain and missed Games 4 and 5, both Cavaliers losses.
Bickerstaff previously rode Mitchell hard in the 2023 postseason, averaging 41.4 minutes per game in a five-game series loss to the Knicks, his career-high in any five-game stretch.
The Cavaliers also were without Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen due to injury for the elimination game.
The Athletic continued their report by saying that if Mitchell were to sign a long-term extension with the Cavaliers, fellow guard Darius Garland could potentially be looking for a trade, as the fit seemed untenable at different points this season.
Those details seemingly indicate that Cleveland may have to choose between Garland and Mitchell.
“I think this has been a difficult year for us, for a bunch of different reasons,” Bickerstaff said, according to Cleveland.com. “They never found a time to fold on each other. All they did was figure out ways to compete. I give our guys a ton of credit for fighting through adversity, doing it together, and putting themselves in this position they were in tonight.”
It was reported that Bickerstaff was on the hot seat in Cleveland earlier this season as their team faltered during the early part of the season.
Cleveland ultimately finished 48-34, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference and then beat the Orlando Magic in seven games in the first round.
Multiple reports suggest that several players, privately and publicly, have questioned Bickerstaff’s coaching, including rotations, minutes and scheme.
The drama surrounding Mitchell and Bickerstaff sends Cleveland into arguably its most pivotal offseason since 2018 when LeBron James left Cleveland to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“No one has told me I’m not (the coach), so I’ll keep showing up until they tell me not to,” Bickerstaff said after the game.
