INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - The Cavs spent a wild stretch of the offseason chasing LeBron James, but president of basketball operations Koby Altman made it clear Friday that one swing, even one that big, was never going to define everything.
After James passed on Cleveland and joined the Philadelphia 76ers following a 25-day odyssey, the Cavs shifted gears and kept moving. Altman said the front office could not let one outcome control the whole picture, especially with the way the roster, the staff and the organization are built.
“We can’t be reliant on one outcome,” Altman said.
He pointed to a string of moves that, in his view, made the summer a success anyway. That list starts with Donovan Mitchell’s four-year extension, comes with Evan Mobley’s extension from the year before, and continues with the addition of Peyton Watson in a five-team transaction that helped the Cavs get under two aprons and preserve future flexibility.
“Was this offseason a success for us?” Altman said. “I think for us it was a resounding yes when you look at all the things that we were able to do.”
Altman said the front office was also pleased with the draft and with the longer view the team maintained while the James pursuit played out. The Cavs, he said, were able to come out of the summer with more financial flexibility, more trade flexibility and more sustainability on the roster.
Watson, in particular, was a major target once the James path closed. Altman said the 6-foot-8 wing brings length, bounce and upside, and that his age - he just turned 24 - plus the best season of his career made him especially appealing.
He also liked the setting Watson is coming from. Altman said Watson has been in a championship environment with Denver, where every rep and every minute had playoff value attached to it.
“He understands the importance of possessions. He understands the importance of teamwork and how you build toward the ultimate success.
We’re really high on Peyton and just being around him, he’s just a wonderful young man. So, we’re super excited about Peyton.”
Altman said the Cavs’ interest in Watson wasn’t just about filling a hole left by James’ decision. The Eastern Conference got stronger overall, he said, but Watson was a position of need regardless of what other teams did. The late timing of the move only made the fit more obvious.
“You pay attention to all of the moves,” Altman said. “Each conference, your division, the Eastern Conference for sure got stronger as a whole. We just felt that was a position of need.”
On offense, Altman sees room for Watson to grow into a bigger role. He said the Cavs want to use him in actions where he can rebound, push the ball and create in transition, or operate as the screener who slips out and makes plays. With Donovan Mitchell and James drawing attention, Altman said Watson can become another decision-maker in the offense, something the starting group had been missing.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we can unlock with Peyton,” Altman said.
The wait on James’ decision slowed things down, Altman acknowledged, but he said Cleveland wasn’t alone in that. Other teams in the mix were stalled too, and the Cavs had to respect James’ process before pivoting.
“I don’t think we’re the only team in that vein,” Altman said. “You name the teams that were in that mix, I think they were all stalled, right?”
He added that the organization was built to absorb that kind of disappointment without spiraling.
“I’m not downplaying the enormity of the decision and the magnitude of the decision,” Altman said. “I just think the way we’re built as an organization is we have a great foundation and a great sort of ecosystem within our franchise in terms of talent, coaching staff, our performance staff and we’re built for a sustainable run here regardless of one outcome.”
Altman also addressed the idea that other possible moves, including ones involving Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo, might have changed the outcome with James. He rejected that logic.
“I think the misconception is if we do something that means he comes back. That’s a misconception,” Altman said.
He said exploring major options is part of how the franchise operates, but those kinds of deals would have come at a steep price.
“We explore everything, as you know,” Altman said. “We’re a very active franchise.”
In Altman’s view, the Cavs didn’t need James to validate the summer. They had already added talent, protected their future and kept the roster moving in the right direction.
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