Koby Altman’s 7 Fatal Errors That Cost Cavaliers This Offseason

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t had a tremendous offseason so far.

As the rest of the Eastern Conference improved, Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman sat idle on the sidelines. The Cavs signed forward Mario Hezonja to a veteran minimum deal, but he hasn’t appeared in an NBA game in six years, and wasn’t very good when he was in the league.

Currently, the Cavs find themselves in a holding pattern of trying to facilitate sign and trades to upgrade their wing position with players like Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson.

Even though the Cavs are still actively trying to improve this roster, let’s take a look at a few huge blunders from this offseason.

Missing out on LeBron James

The Cavaliers weren’t able to secure a third chapter with LeBron in Cleveland.

The stage was set. The team was four wins away from the NBA Finals last season. Yet, LeBron decided Cleveland’s Eastern Conference foe, the Philadelphia 76ers, gave him a better chance to win a fifth championship.

That’s a huge indictment on the Cavs. The smartest basketball player ever, and the greatest of this generation, met with the Cavaliers in early July and still decided to sign with a fourth organization for his 24th season.

Letting Dean Wade walk for nothing

The Cavs lost Dean Wade early in free agency, as he’ll enter his eighth NBA season with the Philadelphia 76ers despite being a homegrown talent in Cleveland.

Wade was developed through Cleveland’s basketball operations, from the NBA Summer League and stints with the Canton Charge into a contributing role player on a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

Even though Wade’s offense never ascended in the postseason, he was one of Cleveland’s top defenders and played an important role on head coach Kenny Atkinson’s team. Waiting for LeBron to make a free agent decision, and wrongly anticipating a third chapter in Cleveland, likely contributed to Wade’s departure from the Cavs.

The Keon Ellis situation

The Cavs acquired Ellis and Dennis Schroder from the Sacramento Kings at the deadline for De’Andre Hunter. Ellis was a young, elite defender with some offensive upside that the Cavs had targeted for many seasons, while Schroder was an adequate ball handler that helped salaries match.

Ellis signed a two-year deal worth $18 million with the Brooklyn Nets early in free agency. Several reports have indicated that the Cavaliers are looking for a trade partner to unload Schroder’s salary.

Remember, Hunter was a pricey acquisition for the Cavaliers back in 2025. The team had to part ways with Caris LeVert, who wasn’t easy to acquire from the Indiana Pacers a few seasons back.

The mismanagement of resources involved in LeVert and Hunter leading to Ellis and Schroder – who are seemingly being given up on – simply isn’t great roster management.

The commitment to Evan Mobley

Inadvertently, the Cavs have placed a tremendous amount of pressure on Mobley entering his sixth season in the NBA.

Altman refused to trade the seven-footer in a package centered around Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline. This offseason, the Cavs watched Antetokounmpo get traded to the Miami Heat in a package centered around Tyler Herro. Certainly, the Cavs could’ve put together a stronger offer.

The Cavs also remained committed to Mobley and Donovan Mitchell, who signed with the Cavs on a four-year contract extension instead of chasing Jaylen Brown. The Sixers received Brown for an aging Paul George and draft picks. Again, the Cavs could’ve put together a more intriguing package.

Brown signing in Philadelphia was the move that ultimately convinced LeBron to sign with the Sixers, strengthening their case as a contender in the East.

Watching the East improve championship identities

Antetokounmpo is in Miami. Brown and LeBron are in Philadelphia. Those are two contenders that finished last season with worse records than the Cavs, but added championship mindsets this offseason.

The Toronto Raptors (who had the Cavs on the ropes in Round 1 of the postseason) are trying to finalize their trade for Kawhi Leonard, who delivered them a championship in 2019. The Detroit Pistons are rumored to be sniffing around Kevin Durant, who has two titles on the shelf.

Boston will try a new pairing with George and Jayson Tatum, the Indiana Pacers will get Tyrese Halliburton back with Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac while the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks also improved.

Where’s that leave the Cavs?

Letting Mike Gansey out of the building

Altman will likely spend another season praying for internal development. The Cavs will be left to hope Mitchell can be the best player on a championship-winning team or that Mobley can take a sixth-year leap.

It feels pretty silly that the Cavaliers let general manager Mike Gansey out of their building, to receive a massive promotion by the Sixers. He landed Brown. That landed LeBron. And turned Philadelphia into more of a title threat than the Cavaliers overnight.

Add us as a preferred source on Google