The Cleveland Cavaliers have named Brandon Weems of Akron, Ohio as the new general manager according to ESPN on Friday. Weems takes over from Mike Gansey of Cleveland, Ohio, who left the Cavaliers in the offseason to be the president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Weems has been with the Cavaliers for over the last decade. According to Linkedin, he was a scout for six seasons from 2015 to 2021, the director of scouring operations for four seasons from 2017 to 2021, the senior director of player personnel for one season from 2021 to 2022, and the assistant general manager for four season since 2022.
Interestingly, Weems has a strong connection to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, who also calls Akron home. Weems and James were teammates at St.Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. James went from playing high school in Ohio to being selected first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It should be an interesting season for the Cavaliers. They finished in second place in the Central Division a year ago at 52 wins and 30 losses. Then in the postseason, the Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals before being swept by the New York Knicks.
The Cavaliers’s biggest offseason trade came on August 20 in a three-way deal with the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards. Cleveland acquired small forward Peyton Watson of Beverly Hills, California from Denver. Last season, Watson averaged 14.6 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game.
