The Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 29-point deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday, in a season opener that also reminded Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson of a summer disappointment. LeBron James played for Philadelphia, not for the franchise that drafted him, as he had hoped Cleveland would land him.
Atkinson said the Cavs had expected to sign James and felt let down when the news broke. “We were anticipating and excited [to land James] and then you have that [news],” Atkinson said before the game. “Having gone through free agency a lot, when you’re expecting something to happen and it doesn’t happen, that first day or two, you’re just like, you’re depressed, quite honestly. That’s the emotions of it.”
Cleveland, Minnesota, Miami, Golden State and Philadelphia were the five finalists James considered after telling the Los Angeles Lakers he would pursue free agency to play a record-setting 24th NBA season elsewhere. Cleveland was the only one of those teams James visited. He met with Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman, vice president of business operations Grant Gilbert and now-Cavs general manager Brandon Weems, a close friend of James since childhood.
James chose the Sixers, signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option for next season. On the day of his decision, he posted on X: “Northeast Ohio will always [be] home!”
After the game, James discussed the Cleveland meeting. “The nature of the meeting, I probably won’t discuss much, but it was [in] consideration for sure,” he said. “I mean, obviously, as a team trying to build towards a championship and things of that nature, and I was trying to decide where I wanted to go with the rest of my career, to finish my career or whatever the case may be, the next step. And a lot of consideration for sure.”
Cavs Pivot to Peyton Watson
Atkinson credited the Cavs for moving quickly after losing James. They assembled a five-team move to acquire forward Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal. Cleveland parted with Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Tre Mann and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick. Watson, 24, then signed a four-year, $88 contract with Cleveland.
“I loved how quickly we just switched gears and the push to get Peyton in the fold and everything we had to do to do that,” Atkinson said. “I mean, that was a complicated maneuver. But it’s kind of what [Cavs owner] Dan Gilbert and Koby and those guys, they’re aggressive. They don’t stand pat, and I love it. We take risks; we take swings. It was a great switch to what was a tough blow for us in the beginning.”
Opening Night Stat Lines
Watson made his Cavs debut with eight points on 2-for-7 shooting, two assists, two steals and five turnovers. James scored 17 points on 5-for-14 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and five turnovers in his second game with Philadelphia.
James said he already felt at home after playing his first regular-season game at Xfinity Mobile Arena. “It was everything I dreamed of and more,” James said. “The boos, that was amazing. We deserved it. And then we got the cheers and we almost blew the roof off this thing tonight — in a good way. So, it was a hell of a night. … I’m happy to be here. Extremely happy. And I’m happy to be with these boys in the locker room. Hopefully, we’ll continue to do something special throughout the season.”