Koby Altman Explains Why Cavaliers Didn't Chase Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown

Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Friday that trading for a player of Giannis Antetokounmpo's or Jaylen Brown's caliber would have taken a toll on the roster. Altman spoke alongside head coach Kenny Atkinson, three days before the team's media day.

Both stars changed teams this summer, and LeBron James chose Brown's new team in free agency.

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat on June 22, the night before the 2026 draft. Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, the No. 13 pick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2030 pick swap, and a 2033 second-round pick, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Boston Celtics sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, first-round picks in 2028 and 2031, and second-round picks in 2028 and 2030, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.

James announced his decision on July 24. He signed a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told Charania.

On the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash, James later named Tyrese Maxey, Brown, and Joel Embiid as the biggest reasons he chose Philadelphia.

After the Peyton Watson trade in August, Cleveland no longer holds a tradable first-round pick, ESPN noted in its Future Power Rankings. To get a player of that caliber, Altman said, a team gives up a lot.

"The misconception is that if we do something, that means he comes back," Altman said. "We have a lot of confidence and faith in the talent we have in-house. You don't fluke your way to the Eastern Conference finals."

"We explore everything," Altman continued. "We're a very active franchise. We explore different things, different prices, different price points. To get that caliber of player, you're giving up a lot. Is that the best thing for the team and our future? Without going too deep into specifics, both would have taken a toll if we had gone down that path."

James met in person with only one team, the Cavaliers, according to Charania. He reported that the meeting took place in early July at James' home in Akron, Ohio, with Cavaliers executive Bryant Gilbert, Altman, and assistant general manager Brandon Weems. Paul later confirmed the meeting on his Game Over podcast, Bleacher Report noted.

Weems was promoted to general manager on Sept. 18.

Altman declined Friday to describe the meeting. Cleveland could not build its summer around one outcome, he said.

"We'll leave that sort of internal in terms of our conversations with him," Altman explained. "I would say this. We have tremendous respect for LeBron, what he means to this organization, what he means to this region. I think we need to respect his process, respect his decision, and kind of leave it at that."

"And again, I think for us, how we characterize all of it is we can't be reliant [on] one outcome," Altman added. "We have too much of a good thing going in terms of our infrastructure, our foundation to worry about one outcome."

The Cavaliers signed Mario Hezonja on July 31, agreed Aug. 14 to trade Dennis Schröder to the Charlotte Hornets, and agreed to the five-team sign-and-trade for Watson on Aug. 19.

Every team in the mix for James was waiting on the same decision, Altman said.

"I don't think we're the only team in that situation," Altman said. "The teams in that mix were all stalled. You have to respect his process and decision-making process and see it through. After he made his decision, [we] were able to pivot and have a really successful offseason."

Watson signed for four years and $88 million. Hezonja, the 2025-26 Liga ACB Most Valuable Player with Real Madrid, signed a one-year deal.

Cleveland went 52-30 last season and reached the Eastern Conference Finals, where the New York Knicks swept the Cavaliers. Last season, James helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the playoffs. Entering his 24th season, he dropped 10 spots in a new top-100 player ranking.

The Cavaliers open the regular season Oct. 22 in Philadelphia against James, Brown, and the 76ers.