Cavs GM Mike Gansey leaving for top job with Sixers

The Cavaliers are losing one of the key architects behind their rise back into contention.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Cavs general manager Mike Gansey has agreed to become president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, giving him his first opportunity to run an NBA front office.

Gansey has been with Cleveland since the 2011-12 season and steadily climbed the organizational ladder. He was promoted to general manager in 2022 after previously serving as assistant GM under Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman.

In recent weeks, Gansey had emerged as one of the leading candidates for Philadelphia’s vacancy following the departure of former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Reports indicated Gansey and Sixers assistant GM Jameer Nelson were among the finalists for the position.

The move comes just days after Cavs leadership publicly expressed confidence in its front office structure despite Cleveland’s sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.

Gansey now inherits one of the NBA’s most scrutinized jobs, leading a Philadelphia franchise searching for a new direction after parting ways with Morey earlier this month.

For the Cavs, meanwhile, the offseason just got a little more complicated.

Philadelphia’s search was spearheaded by Bob Myers, the former Warriors executive who helped build four championship teams in Golden State. Myers, now president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is expected to work closely with Gansey as the Sixers chart their next course.