Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers could target the Chicago Bulls' Lonzo Ball or Brooklyn Nets' Bill Simmons if either player is bought out this season, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst said Tuesday on ESPN Cleveland he believes the Cavaliers will be looking for "a perimeter guard who has size and can defend."

"Two guys who could be bought out, that fit that bill, are Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons," Windhorst said.

Both Ball and Simmons are playing on expiring contracts, with Ball having exercised a $21.4 million player option and Simmons earning just over $40 million in the final year of his deal.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported in December that the Nets had "zero interest" in buying out Simmons, who has taken on a larger role with the team following the trade of Dennis Schröder.

If the Nets do decide to part ways with Simmons this season, however, a buyout is likely their only option. The size of Simmons' contract and his 6.3 point-per-game output do not make him a viable trade candidate.

Ball is meanwhile averaging 7.0 points per game in his first campaign back after missing two and a half seasons with knee injuries.

After acquiring Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason, the Bulls could consider moving on from Ball, especially given his expiring contract.

If possible, the Bulls would likely prefer to get assets back for Ball's expiring contract.

There is also the chance Ball plays out his contract in Chicago. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie recently reported that the Bulls "are thought to be very happy with Ball and love having him around the team for his presence in the locker room."

The trade deadline is Feb. 6, and the buyout deadline is March 1. Both Simmons and Ball could still be with their current teams by then. If either is bought out, however, the Cavs could consider trying to add either player on a potentially discounted salary.

The Los Angeles home of Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Ty Jerome was burglarized last week, per TMZ Sports.

The robbery occurred on Friday, Jan. 17, while the Cavs were on a three-game road trip. They were in Oklahoma City facing the Thunder on Thursday and traveled to Minnesota on Saturday to take on the Timberwolves.

According to TMZ, the suspects broke in through a glass window and left the house shortly after getting in. Jerome is expected to work with the local police to determine what was stolen from his home. Police are still investigating the burglary.

A number of athletes have dealt with break-ins over the past few months. Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and more have been victims of robberies.

In December, the FBI issued a warning to pro sports leagues about athletes' homes being targeted during games or road trips. The FBI said in its report that organized theft groups from South America use social media and other public information to figure out when athletes will be away from their residences. The groups also use technology such as Wi-Fi jammers to bypass alarm systems and block wireless internet connections.

"These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches and cash," the FBI said in a Liaison Information Report.

It's unclear whether Jerome's home being robbed is connected to the groups that the FBI warned leagues about.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the league as a result of both outstanding play and great chemistry.

As the trade deadline nears, the Cavs are reportedly listening to offers but are hesitant to make any moves that could disrupt the team's chemistry, per NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.

"Beyond its four mainstays, Cleveland is said to be listening to pitches but generally reluctant to do any sort of trade-deadline tinkering given how good the chemistry has been during the Atkinson Era," Stein and Fischer wrote.

At this point in the season, the Cavaliers don't have much of a reason to be active around the trade deadline. They are off to a historically good 34-5 start and sit firmly in first place in the Eastern Conference.

As Stein and Fischer noted, any trades likely wouldn't feature Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen. It wouldn't be surprising if Cleveland wanted to keep all of the players in its regular rotation to ensure it doesn't disrupt the chemistry they've developed.

If the Cavs decide to make some moves before the deadline, there could be a handful of players around the league hoping to be included in a package. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported last week that Cleveland has become a desirable location this season.

"Something interesting has happened this year with the Cavs, I've had multiple agents tell me that their players want to play in Cleveland," Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. "Part of it is because they know that Dan Gilbert will spend money and that if they trade for their client, their client can get paid. Part of it is they like the way the Cavs are playing, stuff like that. That is an indication to me that they're being well-received. The way they're playing is being well-received."

Whether the Cavs opt to have an active trade deadline will be determined within the next month, but the roster they have at the moment seems more than capable of competing for a championship.

The surging Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly becoming a hot spot for players around the NBA.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Tuesday that he's heard from multiple agents whose players are interested in going to Cleveland.

"Something interesting has happened this year with the Cavs, I've had multiple agents tell me that their players want to play in Cleveland," Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. "Part of it is because they know that Dan Gilbert will spend money and that if they trade for their client, their client can get paid. Part of it is they like the way the Cavs are playing, stuff like that. That is an indication to me that they're being well-received. The way they're playing is being well-received."

The Cavs have been one of the most notable young teams on the rise in recent years. They made the playoffs for the first time in the post-LeBron James era two years ago and advanced to the conference semifinals last season.

Now, Cleveland has hit a new high. The Cavaliers started the year 15-0 and recently went on another 12-game winning streak before losing to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. They currently have the best record in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA at 33-5.

While still unproven, Cleveland has established a new culture of winning that hasn't been present in the Cavs organization since James led them to the NBA Finals year in and year out.

Given their recent success, it's no surprise that players are interested in taking their talents to the Cavaliers.

But as Windhorst mentioned, it's not just Cleveland's on-court success that has sparked interest from players around the league. The Cavaliers take care of their players financially, a feat proven to be true this offseason when Donovan Mitchell inked a three-year, $150.32 million extension.

With how well the Cavs have played this season, it seems things might just get better this offseason if free agents end up flocking to Cleveland. The Cavaliers will look to make their organization even more desirable by closing out the season strong and perhaps competing for a championship later this year.

NBA fans might have gotten an early look at this year's Finals on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122 in one of the most exciting games of the season thus far. Heading into the contest, there had never been a team on a 15-game win streak face off against a team on a 10-game winning run. Ultimately, it was Cleveland that kept its sequence going as it made it 11 in a row.

The game was highlighted by a plethora of lead changes, but Cleveland had the edge heading down the stretch. But the Thunder got right back into the game, cutting the Cavs' lead to just two points with a minute and a half to play.

Cleveland, feeding off a rowdy home crowd, held strong on defense, though, while also getting the shots it needed on the offensive end to escape with the win.

It was a slow night for Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who had just 11 points, but Cleveland's frontcourt stepped up as Jarrett Allen had 25 points, 12 boards and six assists while Evan Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a big night with 31 points, but it wasn't enough to carry his team past the Cavs.

The Cavaliers now hold the best record in the NBA at 31-4 and have all the makings of a Finals team. While the Thunder dropped to 30-5 with the loss, they're still in the driver's seat in the Western Conference.

Cleveland and Oklahoma City will meet again in just over a week, and the second contest should be just as enthralling as the first.

There has been plenty of outside noise surrounding Donovan Mitchell for much of his career, but he said he has found a "sense of peace" with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.

"For years, everyone has talked about if I like Rudy, or talked about me going to the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat," he said in a Tuesday piece by Tony Jones of The Athletic. "So, it's great to finally have that sense of peace."

Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each started their NBA careers on the Utah Jazz and were teammates for five seasons. While the team made the playoffs all five seasons, it never advanced past the second round and the relationship between the two franchise cornerstones was seemingly always under constant scrutiny.

Utah eventually traded Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Mitchell to the Cavaliers ahead of the 2022-23 seasons.

But trade speculation followed Mitchell in Cleveland, and he was frequently connected to the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Yet that has largely stopped after he signed a three-year extension with the Cavaliers this past summer, and he is now eyeing the sport's ultimate prize in Cleveland.

"Ideally, if I can paint a picture, I would win a championship at some point over the next five years," he said. "It's hard to win championships. It's hard to win in this league. Despite public opinion, I love being in Cleveland and I want to win a title with this group."

The Cavaliers are in position to compete for that championship this year, as they are sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 26-4 record. They have a win over the reigning-champion Boston Celtics, three wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, two wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and a win over the Knicks as they establish themselves as a team to beat in the East.

Mitchell is a major reason for that success, as he is averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep this season.

He could be well on his way to a sixth consecutive All-Star Game selection but has his sights set on bigger goals as he plays with that "sense of peace" in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a scorching start under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, but star guard Donovan Mitchell isn't taking credit for the move.

While speaking to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Mitchell pushed back on the narrative that he was responsible for the Cavs firing former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff after last season and replacing him with Atkinson.

"I wanted the organization to make that (coaching) decision," Mitchell said. "Obviously I know people probably think I f--king did all of it, but at the end of the day, I trust in (Cavs general manager) Koby (Altman). I trust in the front office to be like, 'All right, what's the decision?' And then you figure out what the future looks like."

Atkinson has led Cleveland to a 17-1 start, the best record in the NBA. Mitchell leads the team with 24.4 points per game while also adding 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

In four-plus seasons under Bickerstaff, the Cavs made two playoff appearances and never advanced past the second round. Mitchell played over 35 minutes per game in his two years with Bickerstaff at the helm, leading to concerns about his usage after he sustained injuries. This season, he's playing a career-low 31.2 minutes per game while shooting a career-high 41.1 percent from three-point range.

Bickerstaff is now with the rebuilding Detroit Pistons and has the team off to an 8-11 start, so it appears that the changes have worked out for all sides.

Mitchell and the Cavs will be going for their third straight win when they meat the Atlanta Hawks (7-11) on Wednesday night.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen infamously said that the "lights were brighter than expected" after his struggles during his team's five-game first-round playoff series loss to the New York Knicks in 2023.

With that, Allen became the centerpiece behind a meme, but the big man smiles when looking back on his "one shining moment," per comments made during "The Young Man and the Three" podcast.

The 2023 first round was a quiet series for Allen, who averaged just 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 38.2 minutes per game over five starts.

He and the Cavs are enjoying themselves now, though. The 16-1 Cavs won their first 15 games this year, and Allen is averaging 14.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per contest.

The lights weren't bright for Allen during last year's playoffs, as he averaged 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds during the first four games of his team's eventual seven-game first-round win over the Orlando Magic.

Unfortunately, Allen suffered a rib injury in Game 4 of that series, and he sat out the remainder of the playoffs, including a second-round five-game defeat to the Boston Celtics.

He'll almost certainly get a chance to make an imprint on the playoffs yet again. It's still early, but the Cavs have clearly been the NBA's best team through the first month of the season. A deep playoff run could be in the works, and Allen, who has been tremendous thus far, should be right in the mix.

For now, Allen and the Cavs are looking to build a new winning streak after beating the New Orleans Pelicans 128-100 to move to 16-1. The Toronto Raptors are up next, and they'll head to Cleveland on Sunday for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup.

The Rock Entertainment Group, which serves as the host for Dan Gilbert's sports and entertainment properties—including the Cleveland Cavaliers—is launching a bid for a WNBA expansion franchise in Cleveland, according to Jessica Golden of CNBC and the Associated Press.

"It has long been woven into our mission to utilize our platform to unite our community in ways that drive equal opportunities across the board," Nic Barlage, the CEO of the Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, told the AP. "To that end, we are actively pursuing bringing a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland."

Cleveland isn't the only city trying to get into the WNBA game, with Golden reporting that Denver, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Philadelphia are also potential bidders.

"The good news is we have a lot of demand from many cities," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters last month. "I think the more people are watching the WNBA and seeing what we're growing here and seeing these players and the product on the court, more people are interested in having it in their cities."

The WNBA is adding a 13th franchise ahead of the 2025 season, the Golden State Valkyries, while Toronto and Portland have already been awarded future expansion franchises.

"We're not in a huge rush," Engelbert said while discussing a 16th future franchise. "We'd like to bring it in in 2027 or no later than 2028."

The league, bolstered by a growing interest in women's sports and the popularity of young stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, saw its attendance hit its highest mark in 22 years and merchandise sales rise by over 600 percent compared to 2023, per Golden.

That growth has unsurprisingly led to an interest in expansion. Cleveland—which is already home to the Cavaliers, the NFL's Cleveland Browns and MLB's Cleveland Guardians, among other professional teams—should be able to put together a competitive bid.

"We have this unique convergence of infrastructure, culture and these foundational pieces that we think make Northeast Ohio, and specifically Cleveland, a great opportunity to expand from a WNBA perspective," Barlage told Golden.

Cleveland previously had a WNBA team, the Cleveland Rockers, from 1997-03.

"I just feel extraordinarily confident that, should a team be given to Cleveland—in part because of the city, in part because of what sports means here, in part because of the Cavs—it would immediately be a huge success," Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert told Golden.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a historic 15-0 start, and their secret to success has been coming to practice and games with no ego.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell explained how his team has approached the season thus far.

"For us, we understand each other," Mitchell said (19:00 mark). "When you're in the locker room with guys for more than one year, I know what you're like on a daily basis, I know your work habits, I know what gets you motivated, I know what gets you tired... We vibe with each other every day which is great, egos are checked at the door."

For a team full of rising stars such as Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, playing with no ego can be difficult, but the Cavs are still unproven and seem to understand that.

A 15-0 start is great, but the ultimate goal is winning a championship. Standing in the way of a championship is a long season and the playoffs. Mitchell believes his squad will be prepared for whatever is thrown their way.

"I have no doubt that when adversity hits, we're going to continue to get closer," Mitchell said. "But it's easy with a group that you rock with."

The Cavs have beat a handful of good teams on their way to an undefeated start, but their biggest test thus far will come on Tuesday when they face the Boston Celtics. If there is any doubt about Cleveland being a Finals contender, the Cavs can silence those doubts with a win over the defending champs.