Koby Altman: Cavs couldn’t let LeBron James decision define their offseason

The Cavaliers wanted LeBron James. They met with him, waited for him and gave his decision the respect it deserved.

Then James chose the Sixers. So the Cavs did what NBA teams have to do when Plan A goes elsewhere. They moved on.

“We couldn’t have hit the mat in terms of, ‘Oh, man. This is woe is us,’” president of basketball operations Koby Altman told reporters at the preseason press conference Friday. “We’re not built that way.”

That doesn’t mean the Cavs considered James’ decision insignificant. He’s the best player in franchise history and delivered its only championship. Even at 41, he can raise a contender’s ceiling.

The Cavs were serious enough that Altman, newly promoted general manager Brandon Weems and vice president Grant Gilbert visited James at his Bath Township home. Agent Rich Paul later said Cleveland was the only team to meet with James during his free agency. Altman declined to discuss the specifics.

“We have tremendous respect for LeBron, what he means to this organization, what he means to this region,” he said. “I think we need to respect his process, respect his decision and kind of leave it at that.”

The process took 25 days. That created a holding pattern not only for the Cavs, but also the Heat, Warriors and others waiting to see where James would land.

James ultimately signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Philadelphia, taking the largest paycut in league history. Altman acknowledged the Cavs had to pivot quickly once the decision became official.

They acquired Peyton Watson from the Nuggets in a sign-and-trade, addressing their need for a young, athletic wing. They drafted guard Meleek Thomas, signed Mario Hezonja and extended Donovan Mitchell after previously locking up Evan Mobley.

Altman called the offseason a “resounding” success. That may sound ambitious for a team that missed out on James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown. But Altman’s larger point is that the Cavs could not allow one pursuit to determine everything that followed.

“We can’t be reliant on one outcome,” he said. “The offseason is a long offseason. It doesn’t start and end two days into free agency.”

Cleveland also explored the prices for Antetokounmpo and Brown before they were traded to the Heat and Sixers, respectively. Altman again wouldn’t reveal specifics, but acquiring either almost certainly would have required the Cavs to surrender Mobley and other significant pieces.

“We explore everything,” Altman said. “To go out and get that caliber of player, you’re giving up a lot. Is that the best thing for the team and the best thing for our future?”

That was the calculation. The Cavs reached the Eastern Conference finals last season. Altman wasn’t willing to tear apart that foundation merely to make a bigger splash — especially when there was never a guarantee that another major move would convince James to return.

“I think the misconception is if we do something, that means he comes back,” Altman said. “That’s a misconception.”

There is some front-office spin here, of course. The Cavs wanted James and didn’t get him. Had he returned, they would’ve celebrated it as the defining move of their offseason.

He didn’t. So the Cavs filled their most obvious need, retained their core and kept Mobley out of blockbuster trades that would have dramatically shortened their runway.

Whether that qualifies as a “resounding” success will be decided on the court. But the Cavs didn’t panic after losing James, and they didn’t dismantle a conference finalist merely to say they had done something enormous.

Sometimes, the best pivot is the one that prevents disappointment from turning into desperation.