Coming off a season where the Cleveland Cavaliers finished atop the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 record, team owner Dan Gilbert gave president Koby Altman a contract extension, per ESPN. Altman has been part of the Cavaliers’ front office since 2012, serving a variety of roles. He rose through the ranks after first starting as a pro personnel manager before climbing to assistant general manager, then general manager and was named president of basketball operations in 2022.
In addition to Altman getting a contract extension, which takes him through the 2029-30 season, Cavs general manager Mike Gansey and assistant general manager Brandon Weems also received multiyear extensions, per ESPN.
Altman has seen the Cavaliers through many iterations. He was assistant general manager when Cleveland won its first championship in 2016 with LeBron James as the centerpiece, and following that successful year was installed as general manager in 2017. He saw the Cavs through the second post-LeBron era, and while it took several years to get back to the playoffs, Cleveland rounded back into a title contender once again.
Altman led the charge in selecting Darius Garland with the fifth overall pick in 2019, then taking Evan Mobley two years later with the third overall pick in 2021. He also pulled off some major trades, bringing in Donovan Mitchell in 2022, as well as Jarrett Allen in 2021. That is nearly all of Cleveland’s starting lineup that won them 64 games this season, and the rest of the roster is filled with smart signings and trades executed by Altman. It doesn’t just stop at roster construction, either. After parting ways with J.B. Bickerstaff, Altman hired Kenny Atkinson to be the next coach, and in his first year this season won Coach of the Year honors after transforming this Cleveland team.
While the Cavaliers built something special, it hasn’t amounted to much postseason success yet. Cleveland fell in the second round again after losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games. It was a complete shock as the Cavs were massively favored in that series, but Indiana caught Cleveland off guard and wore them down with their fast-paced offense.
One would think that Altman and the Cavaliers would take that as reason to retool the roster in an effort to make it further next season, but instead Cleveland made a series of smaller moves to improve on the margins. They re-signed Sam Merrill, added Larry Nance Jr. (again), and the biggest splash came when they traded Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball. The Ball for Okoro swap may be a trade that trends next year in the playoffs as Ball has the potential of making a significant impact with his defense and playmaking. There’s also the chance he struggles to stay healthy like he did in Chicago and becomes a non-factor. But in that case, Cleveland didn’t give up anything to take a flier on him as Okoro’s offensive limitations makes him a liability in the postseason.
With injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton set to have a significant impact on the Eastern Conference, next year may be the time for the Cavaliers to make a deep run to the NBA Finals. Altman’s certainly built a roster capable of getting there, and next season is lining up to be the perfect time for the Cavaliers to take advantage of what is going to be a wide open race to the NBA Finals in the East.
