The Cleveland Cavaliers' 2026 campaign has officially come to a close. On Monday, May 26, the disastrous Eastern Conference Finals series ended with the New York Knicks waltzing into the NBA Finals with a 4-0 sweep. The Cavaliers, who looked abysmal, must now begin evaluating what the organization's future will look like."I think the Cavs have two pathways," ESPN's NBA Insider Brian Windhorst said early Tuesday morning. "They... could bring this team back, put them through a training camp, and try to, again, just like the Knicks kind of did this year, if you believe in the roster... [the second] James Harden is going to be a Cav next year. He's going to sign a new deal that will probably be structured in a way that will allow the Cavs to dip below the second apron, and once they've done that, it can bring in the availability of them to make a major trade, or, and is that trade."Is it a sign and trade deal for LeBron James? Is it a trade for another star player? Would they enter the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes? Would they try to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and then try to convince LeBron James to come over on a vastly reduced contract, or would they just try to bring it all back."James Harden will opt out this summer to re-sign with the Cavaliers on a team-friendly contract for them to dip underneath the second apron, per @WindhorstESPN.Harden returning at a discounted figure would open up Cleveland to aggressively pursue trades. pic.twitter.com/0Q1Y609CnS— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 26, 2026Such questions are important to be asked, especially given the lofty expectations that were placed on the Cavaliers this season, just for them to fall short. The front office went out and traded for veteran guard James Harden, moving on from injury-prone guard Darius Garland. Of all the changes and moves the team made throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, that is the one that has been under the brightest spotlight. Now, with his contract being up, as Windhorst mentioned, the Cavaliers are going to have to do a deep evaluation of Harden's fit with the team. However, all signs are pointing towards an extension. If Harden is able to take a contract dip, lowering his hit on the books, the Cavaliers could go out and beef up the roster a bit to try to avenge the struggles from this past season. This would also help Harden's reputation as a team-first player as he looks to find a ring late in his career. Windhorst went on to mention that Mitchell's current situation is something to be monitored as well. "Also, this summer, Donovan Mitchell has a contract extension decision. He has one guaranteed year left on his contract," Windhorst continued. "The Cavs would love to extend him, but for various reasons, and for financial reasons, he could push that decision off into 2027 and face unrestricted free agency then. So, a very big, weighty summer of decisions is coming up for the Cavs. They could take big swings if they wanted to."After looking like they had all the tools to compete for a championship once Donovan Mitchell came to Cleveland, just a few years later, the squad could be headed toward another major shake-up and restructuring.If it works, the city of Cleveland will rejoice. If it doesn’t, it will simply become another chapter in the heart-wrenching story of Cleveland’s continued blunders.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow