Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman signs extension
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman has signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season.
The Cavaliers also announced Monday night general manager Mike Gansey, assistant GM Brandon Weems, vice president of basketball operations/general counsel Jason Hillman and vice president of basketball strategy and personnel Jon Nichols received extensions.
“Koby Altman has demonstrated that he is the right person to lead this franchise. He is not only an outstanding team-builder, but he has also created an exceptional culture that transcends the basketball side of our business and serves as a positive foundation and philosophy for the entire franchise,” Cavaliers chairman Dan Gilbert said in a statement. “Koby not only has a great nose for basketball talent, but he has recruited and developed extraordinary front office talent as well. This unique combination has positioned our franchise to compete for championships for years to come. The decision to extend Koby and his team is not solely based on recent success, but rather the entire body of work since he took over the role in 2018.”
Altman has been with Cleveland since 2012. He has been in his current position since January 2022 after being named general manager in July 2017.
The Cavaliers won 64 games this past season and finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016, when they won their only NBA championship.
Cleveland swept Miami in the first round but was eliminated by eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana in five games in the conference semifinals.
Altman rebuilt the roster after four straight trips to the NBA Finals (2015-18) and a 2016 NBA title during LeBron James’ second stint.
Altman drafted Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the franchise's first NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He also acquired Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen in trades.
His boldest move though came at the end of the 2023-24 season when he fired J.B. Bickerstaff as coach and replaced him with Kenny Atkinson.
With Atkinson in charge, Cleveland got off to a fast start this past season, becoming the fourth team in NBA history to win at least its first 15 games. It is the third team in league history to have at least three streaks of 12 wins in a season, including a 16-game run from Feb. 3 to March 14.
Atkinson was named NBA Coach of the Year.
The Cavaliers are above both aprons of the salary cap, but they acquired veteran point guard Lonzo Ball from Chicago for forward Isaac Okoro and signed forward/center Larry Nance Jr.
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