Perkins Urges Cavaliers Overhaul After 4-Game Knicks Sweep
Updated
Updated · New York Post · May 26
Perkins Urges Cavaliers Overhaul After 4-Game Knicks Sweep
3 articles · Updated · New York Post · May 26
Four double-digit losses to the Knicks prompted Kendrick Perkins to say every Cavaliers player and staffer should be "on the chopping block" after what he called an embarrassing Eastern Conference finals exit.
Dan Gilbert echoed the criticism, posting that Cleveland's effort was nowhere near the required level, though ESPN reported coach Kenny Atkinson will be retained despite fallout from the sweep and Game 1 collapse.
Cleveland now heads into an expensive offseason with James Harden set for free agency after earning $39.4 million, while Donovan Mitchell is eligible for an extension and made a team-high $46.4 million.
The collapse came after the Cavaliers reached the playoffs for a fourth straight year and advanced to their first conference finals since 2018, leaving GM Mike Gansey to reshape a roster that carried the NBA's highest payroll.
With the NBA's highest payroll, can the Cavaliers build a contender or are they forced to trade a star?
Is trading a defensive anchor like Evan Mobley the Cavs' only path to finding a true alpha scorer?