Where do the Cleveland Cavaliers rank in the Eastern Conference now with LeBron joining the 76ers?

Where do the Cleveland Cavaliers rank in the Eastern Conference now with LeBron joining the 76ers?

July 27, 2026



Where do the Cleveland Cavaliers rank in the Eastern Conference now with LeBron joining the 76ers?

LeBron James is headed to Philadelphia, and it changes the entire conversation in the Eastern Conference. With LeBron joining Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and a revamped 76ers roster, the road to the NBA Finals just got a lot tougher for every contender—including the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So where do the Cavs rank now? Are they still the team to beat in the East, or has Philadelphia leapfrogged Cleveland overnight? We’ll break down how the Cavaliers stack up against the 76ers, Celtics, Knicks, and the rest of the conference while looking at Cleveland’s biggest strengths, potential weaknesses, and what could ultimately determine who comes out of the East.

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View Comments (21)

  1. The Cavs will likely finish as a play in team in the 2027 playoffs. Injuries always factor in as well. Cavs will be fortunate to make it out of the 2nd round of the playoffs next year. The East is tougher good luck Cavs.

  5. How? How is Boston ranked ahead of us. They lost Brown, lost in the first round to the 76ers. No upgrades. We beat Detroit. They lost Prince and about to lose Duran. 76ers unproven. We have to see how Brown and LeBron work out. We have Toronto two games.

  7. Celtics now lost Jaylen brown where Jayson Tatum was injured. Last year could have been a lot of losses. They script injuries so there's a top draft pick available.

  12. Knicks, sixers, Cavs or Raptors or Boston (Tatum is the best player out of the 3 teams), Pistons or Pacers. Should be very competitive. If Toronto gets Kawhi and he actually plays they leap to #3.

  14. In this upcoming season the Knicks will play the new style that they played in the playoffs. Now they will have the whole offseason to polish that new playing style and they will have another season under Mike Brown’s system. That’s something people are not mentioning

  17. I would take Toronto out of here. The league did not pull the Kawaii trade because everything will be fine. He’s going to get a significant suspension, or even just placed on leave until something is done

  18. I dont see mobley will take next step. I know player development takes time but he is missing a spark in his soul. He may have some good games, but I dont see him saving anyone's team. He doesn't strike me as a corner stone of a franchise. He will never be as good or better than mitchell.

  19. As a Knicks fan the Indiana disrespect isn’t warranted they are just like the Knicks minus the injury to Haliburton. A high iq team that has a deep bench good coaching and plays the whole 48 minutes and I feel bad for any top seed team that plays them in the first round

  20. If Joel Embid isn't 100% or not playing, the 76'ers won't make the ECF. Cleveland is still #2 in my opinion and have an entire season to play with James Harden. Cavs core is still together.

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