2018–19 Cleveland Cavaliers season


The 2018–19 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 49th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association. The Cavaliers entered the season as runners-up in the 2018 NBA Finals, in which they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in four games, the first Finals sweep since 2007, in which the Cavs were also swept, by the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron James was not on the roster for the first time since 2013–14, as he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason as a free agent.
On October 28, 2018, the Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue after a 0–6 start and replaced him on the interim basis with his assistant Larry Drew, who would become permanent coach on November 5.
Without LeBron James, as with the 2010–11 season, the Cavaliers struggled to find a solid identity, ranking in the bottom 10 in all of points per game, opponent points per game, pace, offensive rating, and defensive rating. They finished at 19–63, the third worst record in the league, second worst in the Eastern Conference, and their worst season since 2010–11. This was also the Cavs' first losing season since the 2013–14 season.

Draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityCollege / Club
18Collin SextonPGAlabama

The Cavaliers entered the 2018 NBA draft with the rights to the eighth overall pick, which originally belonged to the Brooklyn Nets. Cleveland acquired the pick from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade during the summer of 2017. The Cavaliers used the pick to acquire point guard Collin Sexton, a freshman out of the University of Alabama.

Preseason summary

On July 1, 2018, LeBron James confirmed that he would be leaving the Cavaliers and signing a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. This marked the second time in which James left the Cavaliers in free agency, with the first coming when James joined the Miami Heat in 2010.

Roster

Standings

Division

Conference

Game log

Preseason

Regular season

Player statistics

Transactions

Trades

Free agency

Re-signed

Additions

Subtractions