“They got assets back that helped the Cavs” – Brian Windhorst explains the lesser-known part about “The Decision” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
What everyone remembers from “The Decision” is LeBron James telling the world that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after seven years to play for the Miami Heat. However, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, what most don’t know is that move was actually a sign-and-trade between the two teams.
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On the 15th anniversary of arguably the biggest free agency moves ever, Windhorst reminded people that Cleveland didn’t lose James for nothing.
“When did the Cleveland Cavaliers start getting LeBron James back?” asked Windhorst. “They got him back the next day. What nobody remembers is that after that Dan Gilbert letter, which was on fire, Dan Gilbert and Chris Grant, the general manager, came together and did a sign-and-trade. They actually traded to Miami, got over that emotion, and they got assets back that helped the Cavs later on build the team. Part of those assets were used to trade for Kevin Love.”
Getting Love to Cleveland
Instead of letting James walk away for nothing, Chris Grant devised a sign-and-trade deal in which the Cavaliers received a trade exception and five future draft picks. The package consisted of two of the Heat’s first-round picks between 2013 and 2017 and future second-rounders from New Orleans and Oklahoma City. Additionally, the Heat gave the Cavaliers the right to swap first-round picks in 2012.
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The Cavaliers’ fan base was so hurt by the departure of their hometown superstar that the picks meant nothing at the time. However, four years later, when James entered free agency again, one of the first-round picks they got came in handy.
James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 and expressed his desire to play with Kevin Love, who was starting to get disgruntled with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The organization negotiated a trade for Love by giving up No.1 picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett and a 2015 first-round pick from the Heat, which they got in the 2010 sign-and-trade.
Love helped the Cavs win the 2016 title
Love ultimately became the final piece of the Cavaliers’ championship puzzle.
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After coming up short against the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers got their revenge the following year. They defeated the 73-win Warriors after trailing 3-1 in the series to win the first championship in franchise history.
While James and Kyrie Irving did the heavy lifting in the 2016 Finals, Love did a great job as the third option. Throughout the postseason, he averaged 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds, while making 2.3 3-pointers per game on 41.4 percent. He stayed in Cleveland until the 2022-23 season, longer than LeBron, who left again in 2018 to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
“The Decision, there was a lot of things that happened that night, beyond ‘Taking my talents,’ both on LeBron’s side, and the Cavs side, that ended up being very important years later,” Windhorst added.
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“The Decision” will always be remembered as a disastrous moment for the Cavaliers. But Dan Gilbert and Grant made the most of the situation, allowing the organization to achieve the goal that it couldn’t before: ending the city’s decades-long championship drought.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.