Koby Altman made one thing clear this summer: the Cavaliers were not operating under the idea that a blockbuster move would automatically pull LeBron James back to Cleveland.
That was the message when Altman addressed the chatter around James and the Cavs’ offseason approach. The biggest question hanging over the discussion was whether Cleveland had missed a chance to upgrade the roster in a way that might have made another James homecoming possible. Altman pushed back on that theory.
“I think the misconception is, if we do something, that means [James] comes back,” said Altman. “That’s a misconception.”
Cleveland’s name naturally came up as the league shifted around it this summer, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown both changing teams. Whether the Cavs could have put together the strongest enough package to get either player is impossible to know, but Altman made it sound as though the franchise had done its homework on every path.
“We explore everything, as you know. We’re a really active franchise.
We explore different things, different prices, different price points, and to go out and get that caliber of player [like Antetokounmpo or Brown], you’re giving up a lot. Is that the best thing for the team and the best thing for our future?
And so not going too far deep into that question in terms of specifics, both [trade possibilities] would have taken a toll on both [our present and future] if we would have gone down that path.”
The Cavs have spent most of this decade keeping their core together and making smaller tweaks around the edges. That approach has defined the franchise’s current era, with the front office resisting the urge to tear things up unless the right opportunity comes along. Cleveland did make a major swing for James Harden last season, but otherwise the team has largely stayed with the same construction that has brought regular-season success.
Altman also declined to get into the specifics of his reported meeting with James earlier this summer.
“We’ll leave that internal in terms of our conversation with [James],” said Altman on his reported meeting with James earlier this summer.
Still, he was firm about the belief in the roster already in place.
”We have a lot of confidence and faith in the talent that we have in-house. You don’t fluke your way to the Eastern Conference Finals [last season],” said Altman.
He added that the organization sees itself as more than a one-decision operation, pointing to the structure already in place across the roster and staff.
“I’m not downplaying the enormity of [James’] decision and the magnitude of the decision. I get all of that, 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. We’re built for a sustainable run here, regardless of one outcome.”
And when it came to why James ultimately chose Philly over Cleveland, Altman didn’t offer any details.
“We’ll leave that internal, in terms of our conversation with him,” said Altman. “We have tremendous respect for LeBron, what he means to this organization, what he means to this region.”
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Preseason is likely to be the cleanest evaluation window for all five, especially with the 2026-27 season in mind. Strong camp work and real game minutes could help separate the players who are ready to stick from the ones who still need more time, and for a group like this, the margins are going to be thin. The Cavaliers do not need all of them to pop, but they do need a few to make a convincing case before the competition gets too crowded. [Read more 🡒]