The Cleveland Cavaliers are promoting Brandon Weems to general manager under president of basketball operations Koby Altman, Shams Charania reported Friday.
Weems has spent the last decade with the Cavaliers, working his way through scouting and player personnel roles before becoming assistant general manager in 2022. He will now take over as Cleveland’s GM as the organization continues building around its established core.
Weems joined the Cavaliers in 2015 and was named the team’s scouting director in 2017. His responsibilities later expanded into the front office, with Cleveland promoting him to assistant general manager in February 2022.
The promotion keeps the Cavaliers’ basketball operations leadership structure centered around Altman and an executive who has been involved with the organization through its transition from a rebuilding team to an Eastern Conference contender.
Cleveland is coming off a 2025-26 season in which it reached the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers subsequently committed significant resources to their core, with Donovan Mitchell signing a four-year, $273 million maximum extension and James Harden agreeing to a three-year, $97 million deal.
The Cavaliers also made one of the offseason’s biggest moves by acquiring Peyton Watson in a five-team sign-and-trade. Watson agreed to a four-year, $88 million contract, while Cleveland also acquired Cam Whitmore (later waived) and the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate. Max Strus and Dennis Schroder were among the players sent out in the transaction.
The roster entering the 2026-27 season remains built around Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, with Watson expected to take on a prominent role on the wing. Cleveland also added Mario Hezonja, re-signed Thomas Bryant and selected Meleek Thomas with the No. 34 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Cavaliers’ front office has undergone several changes in recent years while maintaining continuity at the top. Cleveland extended Altman, then-GM Mike Gansey, Weems and other members of the basketball operations group through 2030 in 2025.
With Weems now moving into the GM role, Cleveland will continue with Altman overseeing basketball operations while Weems assumes a larger role in roster construction, personnel decisions and the day-to-day management of the front office.
