7-time NBA champion tells Cavs to run it back: ‘They should win a championship soon’

Trade rumors related to multiple members of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ core four have surfaced since the team saw its stint in the 2025 NBA Playoffs end in the second round.

Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor reported that the Cavaliers may be more willing to entertain trade possibilities for big man Jarrett Allen and guard Darius Garland than they were in the past.

At least one former NBA player thinks the Cavaliers shouldn’t shake up their roster too much this offseason, however, and that’s Robert Horry. He won a whopping seven championships during his career, so he knows what it takes to win at the highest level, and he thinks the Cavaliers should run it back and are in a position where they should win a title “soon.”

“I think [the Cavs should] run it back,” Horry said. “You might add another piece off the bench. I thought when they got De’Andre Hunter, I said, ‘Oh crap, they’re going to the finals,’ because you’ve got De’Andre, you’ve got Ty Jerome who played exceptionally well this year. You got the bench. When you look at their roster, you’ve got Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, you’ve got guys who can erase your mistakes.

“This team is constructed where they should win a championship soon. They just gotta keep it together, keep believing, and don’t blow it up, because this is a really good team.”

For as much as some fans are likely fed up with the Cavaliers’ current core flaming out when the playoffs roll around, there is certainly an appeal to keeping it intact. Folks can look at the Boston Celtics as an example of the rewards the Cavaliers could reap for being patient with their core four.

For years, the Celtics knocked on the door of winning a title with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown spearheading things. The team didn’t panic or split the duo up through all of the trials and tribulations. Brown and Tatum’s playoff failures taught them how to win at a high level, and they just recently helped bring a championship to Boston in 2024.

Even when factoring in the Cavaliers’ second-round exit this season, the team as currently constructed has proven that it has what it takes to be dangerous. After all, Cleveland just recently enjoyed one of its most successful regular seasons in franchise history, as it won 64 of its 82 contests in the 2024-25 campaign.

Horry’s comments should only bolster the confidence of Cavaliers fans with the NBA offseason looming, and perhaps Cavaliers president Koby Altman will take heed of the seven-time champion’s advice and run it back for next season.