Cavaliers to Keep Kenny Atkinson as Head Coach Next Season, Sources Say
cavaliers-kenny-atkinson-to-return-next-season
CLEVELAND — Kenny Atkinson will be back on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ bench next season, according to sources who spoke with ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.
The decision comes one day after Cleveland was swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, its first trip to that round since 2018 and the deepest postseason run without LeBron James since 1992. Every game of the series was decided by double figures.
Team insiders told ESPN that support for Atkinson remains strong among key front-office figures. Star guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden echoed that backing after Monday night’s elimination.
“It’s just hilarious,” Mitchell said. “We’ve done something that we haven’t done since 2018. There’s going to be criticism everywhere on Kenny, but why?… I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny and ultimately that’s all that matters.”
Harden added, “Ultimate players coach. He gets it. He understands his team… I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible.”
Strong record under current deal
Atkinson, 58, signed a five-year contract with Cleveland in 2024 and has posted a 116-48 regular-season mark (.707) in two seasons. The Cavaliers won 64 games in his first year, when he was named NBA Coach of the Year, but still fell in the second round. This season opened at 17-16 before a deadline deal brought in Harden; the club then won two seven-game series to reach the conference finals.
Despite the progress, owner Dan Gilbert wrote on social media that the team is “nowhere near where we need to be,” and front-office sources expect Cleveland to explore roster changes this summer.
“I have confidence — confidence in myself, first of all, confidence in the group,” Atkinson said when asked about his job security after the Game 4 loss. “Obviously, there’ll be decisions to be made like every summer, but I think we’re doing pretty well with those decisions since I’ve been here.”
Context of the coaching move
Cleveland dismissed J.B. Bickerstaff after the 2023-24 season, seeking a deeper playoff run. Although Atkinson delivered on that objective, his tactics drew scrutiny during the conference finals, particularly after the Cavaliers let a 22-point fourth-quarter lead slip away in Game 1. He later remarked that, “analytically,” Cleveland had won two of the first three games based on expected shot quality — a comment that was widely mocked outside the locker room.
Inside the organization, however, the consensus remains that Atkinson has guided the roster forward. “That was the task, right? Take another step,” the coach said. “Knicks were in the conference finals last year. There are barriers. We jumped a barrier that we were stuck on.”
With Atkinson confirmed for a third season, the Cavaliers turn their attention to offseason decisions aimed at clearing the next barrier on their playoff climb.
Source: ESPN
