CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs find themselves at a fascinating crossroads heading into the 2025-26 season. With championship aspirations and a core that continues to mature, the team faces a counterintuitive challenge that could define their season: sometimes, losing might be winning.

This provocative idea emerged during a candid discussion on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, where cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins made an argument that might make competitive purists wince: “I’m at the point now, I think the Cavs need to lose some regular season games trying to do stuff ... Let Evan Mobley do bag work.”

At the heart of this paradox is the delicate balance between Donovan Mitchell’s win-at-all-costs mentality and the critical developmental needs of potential franchise cornerstone Evan M

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