The Cleveland Cavaliers put all of their eggs in the LeBron James basket, and that basket broke. The franchise’s greatest player opted to finish out his career with the Philadelphia 76ers instead of his former stomping grounds, the Cavs or the Miami Heat. It seemed like it was almost a slam dunk for James to return to the Cavs, as they were arguably the deepest team from top to bottom, even if they weren’t the most talented individually. 

Instead, he left the Los Angeles Lakers to go to the City of Brotherly Love and, in doing so, left the Cavs high and dry yet again. James’s decision may have exposed Cavs President Koby Altman as being the wrong man for this role. Instead of doing something to make the Cavs a more desirable landing spot for James, he sat on his hands and opted to let things play out naturally. This decision not only cost him James, but may have very well cost the Cavs their last great chance to win with this team.

The Cavs’ inconsistent play in the postseason was a huge topic of conversation, and many rightfully felt that the team was less talented and more lucky to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. They were bounced out pretty quickly, going down 4-1 and watching the Knicks win the NBA Finals. Since the end of the playoffs, teams like the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and the 76ers got exponentially better, while the Cavs have not.

More: Inside LeBron James’ 76ers decision: What’s known about timeline, why he spurned Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors

Not only did they not get better, they arguably got worse, with the departure of Dean Wade and Keon Ellis in free agency. The team’s two best perimeter defenders are gone now, and now there’s little else to fill the team with talent-wise that warrants hope for this team finally winning an NBA Championship with the likes of Donovan Mitchell. 

Now fans are calling for Altman to be fired, with The Voice’s Hayde Grove tweeting;

I’m not mad at LeBron. I’m mad at the Cavs.

They had all kinds of chances to improve the roster and have done nothing.

They overvalue Evan Mobley like crazy.

Pretty much whatever happens now, the roster won’t be better this year, after last year’s ECF run.

That’s a failure.

— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) July 24, 2026

He’s not the only one. With one fan on  X summing up this offseason as a failure, while another calling for a change at the top, specifically with Altman. The general vibe by the fandom is that this offseason is a failure. 

Sure, the Cavs could land DeMar DeRozan or Jonathan Kuminga, but those don’t look like winning moves. DeRozan is a forward with poor defense and no real desire or ability to shoot beyond the arc. Kuminga is a bust of a first-round pick and is far from the impact player many expected him to be. Even together, they don’t equal the type of impact James could’ve had. 

The Cavs need a dynamic, and unexpected move to get the fans back on the side of Altman; otherwise, the calls for his job will grow louder and louder. 

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