The Cleveland Cavaliers tried to land LeBron James in the offseason. One of the big reasons why they were seen as the favorites from the outside was because of Brandon Weems. Weems was the Assistant GM in Cleveland and is close to James.
Weems grew up in Akron with James and has been working with the Cavs since 2015, right when James’ second stint with the team began. He started out as a scout and has now worked his way all the way up to GM, as the Cavaliers have decided to promote him.
Cavaliers Promote Brandon Weems to GM
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Weems is now the General Manager of the team. He answers only to Koby Altman and Dan Gilbert. It’s an incredible display of hard work, as Weems has worked his way from scout to GM in just over a decade.
Over the years, Weems has held many different positions within the organization. After he was a scout, he worked his way up to Senior Director of Player Personnel. Weems was also the Director of Scouting before he was promoted to Assistant General Manager.
Despite Weems being close with James, he decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Weems continues to help the Cavs in the post-James era. James did congratulate Weems on the promotion on social media, however.
The team made the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since James left in 2018. They were swept by the New York Knicks.
This season, the Cavaliers made a bold decision to trade for Peyton Watson. They remain one of the most expensive teams in the league, as they also decided to re-sign James Harden. Donovan Mitchell also signed a long-term extension with the organization.
Despite the sweep, Cleveland believes they have the tools to win the East this season. Watson fills the void of the small forward position, a role they have struggled to fill. The starting five is now secure, although the bench doesn’t have as much depth with the departures of Max Strus and Dean Wade.
Cleveland Could Be Hamstrung With the Current Roster
With the financial situation they find themselves in, the Cavaliers might not be able to make many moves at the trade deadline. Currently, they are hard-capped at the first apron. While this team is less expensive than it was last season, making trades will be tough to do.
Evan Mobley remains the most valuable trade asset the Cavs have, but they don’t seem interested in moving him. If they were, they likely would have moved him for Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason, and they ultimately decided that was not going to be smart.
It’s unlikely that the Cavs make any more moves this offseason, as they have virtually no cap space remaining. Any changes will have to happen via trade. After the Watson trade, they have very few assets remaining to make significant changes to the roster.
Cavaliers Promotes LeBron James’ Close Friend to GM