 | This article relies largely or entirely on a
single source. (October 2020) |
| 2020–21 Cleveland Cavaliers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | J. B. Bickerstaff |
| General manager | Koby Altman |
| Owner(s) | Dan Gilbert |
| Arena | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–50 (.306) |
| Place | Division: 4th (
Central) Conference: 13th ( Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Bally Sports Ohio [A] |
| Radio | |
The 2020–21 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They did not make it to the playoffs for the third season in a row. [1]
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Isaac Okoro | Forward | USA | Auburn Tigers |
Before the start of the 2020 NBA draft period, the Cavaliers' selection was originally held as the #3 selection due to them finishing their previous season with the third worst record in the NBA (only ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors) before the NBA suspended their season on March 12 and eventually cancelled Cleveland's season on June 5. [2] Like Minnesota and Golden State, Cleveland held the best odds to jump up to the #1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft lottery, though the Cavaliers could have fallen as low as the #6 pick. However, unlike Minnesota and Golden State, Cleveland did not stay in the top 3; their first-round pick instead dropped down to the fifth selection of the draft. The Cavaliers didn't have a second round selection. [3]
Trades
On January 13, 2021, the Cavaliers were part of a blockbuster four team trade. As part of the deal which was headlined by James Harden going to the Brooklyn Nets, the Cavs received center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince from Brooklyn, while sending guard Dante Exum and a 2022 first round draft pick to the Houston Rockets. [4]
On January 22, 2021, the Cavaliers traded disgruntled small forward Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rockets for a highly-protected future second-round pick. [5]
Roster
| 2020–21 Cleveland Cavaliers roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
Division
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Milwaukee Bucks | 46 | 26 | .639 | – | 26–10 | 20–16 | 11–1 | 72 |
| pi – Indiana Pacers | 34 | 38 | .472 | 12.0 | 13–23 | 21–15 | 7–5 | 72 |
| Chicago Bulls | 31 | 41 | .431 | 15.0 | 15–21 | 16–20 | 7–5 | 72 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 50 | .306 | 24.0 | 13–23 | 9–27 | 4–8 | 72 |
| Detroit Pistons | 20 | 52 | .278 | 26.0 | 13–23 | 7–29 | 1–11 | 72 |
Conference
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c − Philadelphia 76ers * | 49 | 23 | .681 | – | 72 |
| 2 | x – Brooklyn Nets | 48 | 24 | .667 | 1.0 | 72 |
| 3 | y – Milwaukee Bucks * | 46 | 26 | .639 | 3.0 | 72 |
| 4 | x – New York Knicks | 41 | 31 | .569 | 8.0 | 72 |
| 5 | y – Atlanta Hawks * | 41 | 31 | .569 | 8.0 | 72 |
| 6 | x – Miami Heat | 40 | 32 | .556 | 9.0 | 72 |
| 7 | x – Boston Celtics | 36 | 36 | .500 | 13.0 | 72 |
| 8 | x – Washington Wizards | 34 | 38 | .472 | 15.0 | 72 |
| 9 | pi – Indiana Pacers | 34 | 38 | .472 | 15.0 | 72 |
| 10 | pi – Charlotte Hornets | 33 | 39 | .458 | 16.0 | 72 |
| 11 | Chicago Bulls | 31 | 41 | .431 | 18.0 | 72 |
| 12 | Toronto Raptors | 27 | 45 | .375 | 22.0 | 72 |
| 13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 50 | .306 | 27.0 | 72 |
| 14 | Orlando Magic | 21 | 51 | .292 | 28.0 | 72 |
| 15 | Detroit Pistons | 20 | 52 | .278 | 29.0 | 72 |
Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- pb – Clinched play-in spot
- o – Eliminated from playoff contention
- * – Division leader
Transactions
Trades
| November 23, 2020 | To
Cleveland Cavaliers 2025 second round pick |
To
Milwaukee Bucks Draft rights to İlkan Karaman |
| November 18, 2020 [6] | To
Cleveland Cavaliers JaVale McGee 2026 second round pick |
To
Los Angeles Lakers Jordan Bell Alfonzo McKinnie |
| November 23, 2020 | To
Cleveland Cavaliers Rayjon Tucker 2027 second round pick |
To
Utah Jazz Cash considerations |
| January 13, 2021 [7] [8] [9] | To
Cleveland Cavaliers Jarrett Allen Taurean Prince Draft rights to Sasha Vezenkov |
To
Brooklyn Nets James Harden 2024 second round pick |
| To
Houston Rockets Victor Oladipo Dante Exum Rodions Kurucs 2022 first round pick 2022 first round pick 2024 first round pick 2026 first round pick 2021 first round pick swap 2023 first round pick swap 2025 first round pick swap 2027 first round pick swap |
To
Indiana Pacers Caris LeVert 2023 second round pick 2024 second round pick Cash considerations | |
| November 23, 2020 [10] | To
Cleveland Cavaliers 2024 second round pick |
To
Houston Rockets Kevin Porter Jr. |
| November 23, 2020 [11] | To
Cleveland Cavaliers Isaiah Hartenstein 2023 second round pick 2027 second round pick |
To
Denver Nuggets JaVale McGee |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Isaac Okoro | November 21, 2020 |
| Matthew Dellavedova | November 24, 2020 |
| Marques Bolden | December 19, 2020 |
| Quinn Cook | March 22, 2021 |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Lamar Stevens | November 19, 2020 | Undrafted |
| Damyean Dotson | November 24, 2020 | New York Knicks |
| Charles Matthews | November 27, 2020 | Unsigned |
| Marques Bolden | November 28, 2020 | Canton Charge |
| Thon Maker | November 28, 2020 | Detroit Pistons |
| Levi Randolph | December 1, 2020 | Canton Charge |
| Norvel Pelle | December 19, 2020 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Yogi Ferrell | January 11, 2021 | Sacramento Kings |
| Brodric Thomas | February 24, 2021 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Quinn Cook | March 12, 2021 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Anderson Varejao | May 4, 2021 | Flamengo Basketball |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Rayjon Tucker | Waived | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Norvel Pelle | Waived | Canton Charge |
| Matt Mooney | Waived | Raptors 905 |
| Charles Matthews | Waived | Canton Charge |
| Levi Randolph | Waived | Canton Charge |
| Thon Maker | Waived | |
| Andre Drummond | Waived | Los Angeles Lakers |
Notes
- ^ Formerly Fox Sports Ohio until March 31, 2021.
References
- ^ "Cleveland Cavaliers Team Info and News". NBA.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "NBA Mock Draft: Where do Prospects Stand After March Madness Cancellation?". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Cleveland Acquires Channing Frye". National Basketball Association. February 18, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Nets acquire James Harden in blockbuster trade - NBA.com
- ^ Manning, Chris (January 21, 2021). "Kevin Porter Jr. traded to Houston". Fear the Sword.
- ^ "Cavaliers Acquire JaVale McGee from Los Angeles Lakers". NBA.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Acquire James Harden". NBA.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Rockets Announce Revised Four-Team Trade". NBA.com. January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Cavaliers Acquire Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince from Brooklyn as Part of Three-Team Trade". NBA.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Cavaliers Trade Kevin Porter Jr. to Houston". NBA.com. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Nuggets add JaVale McGee in deal with Cavaliers". NBA.com. March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.