Sports

2 moves Koby Altman needs to make to entice LeBron James back to the Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers On SI · Jul 22, 2026 14:30 · 3 min read

2 Moves Koby Altman Needs To Make To Entice LeBron James Back to the Cavaliers — Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman talks to the media during media day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

With LeBron James still keeping his cards close to his chest, what does Koby Altman have to do to convince him to come back home?

Another day has passed, and LeBron James still hasn’t made his decision.

In what almost feels like a hostage situation, James holds all the power in what is more than likely to be his last move before calling time on an unprecedented career that has seen him become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, win four championships in 10 Finals appearances, and win three Olympic gold medals amongst a plethora of individual accolades.

Right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are amongst the front-runners in landing the Akron native in what would be his third stint with the franchise, and this presents pressure on the team’s President of Basketball Operations, Koby Altman, unlike anything he has faced since he took the role on in 2017.

So, what does Altman have to do to entice James to come home and ultimately finish his career back where it all started?

The move makes sense, Altman has to convince James that it does

When you look at the other frontrunners to get James’ signature, with Golden State, Miami and Philadelphia also in the conversation, it comes as no surprise that if you look at what will tempt LeBron to move, along with what kind of ambitions they have, Cleveland makes the most sense.

James began his career with the Cavs back in 2003 and is from the state of Ohio. He has stated that he wants to be somewhere he can feel happy while still playing competitive basketball. The Cavaliers tick that box.

For Altman, while the Cavaliers are the favorites to sign James, it’s not a certainty. It’s about selling the idea of joining the Cavs like he’s never played here before. Altman has to sell James on what the team can offer him and what he already has here.

When LeBron returned to Cleveland in 2015, the team’s introductory video package featured James saying, “There’s no place like home.” Altman’s main objective is to market that and remind LeBron of what the Cavs mean to him.

Perhaps waiting on other players to join – mainly James Harden

Hypothetically, James could be holding off on his decision because he wants to wait and see if Cleveland can re-sign James Harden and maybe even sign free agent Kevin Love – LeBron’s 2016 championship teammate.

But with respect to Love, Harden is the Cavaliers’ priority.

It’s common knowledge that Harden has declined a lofty contract to become an unrestricted free agent and open up talks with Cleveland, who will look to sign him to a modest long-term deal. That extra cash could free up James.

LeBron would have been buoyed by the fact that Donovan Mitchell has re-signed for the Cavs, and James would be comfortable giving Mitchell the keys to the franchise, like Harden did when he joined in February.

If Cleveland agrees to the fine print with Harden, it’s likely James could decide to come home – and in all likelihood, Love’s signature would follow.