Cavaliers GM admits ‘level of hurt’ in LeBron James departure

What’s it like to be the general manager of the team that watches LeBron James leave? Not a lot of fun.

Cleveland Cavaliers GM Koby Altman admitted there was a “level of hurt” in seeing James leave for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he’s not holding it against him.

“When you first get hit with it, there is a level of hurt,” Altman said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “You’re hurt because of what you went through for the four years with him and what he meant to us. But I was extremely thankful at the same time. I realize what we accomplished this year and the last four years, and we did a lot. I mean, it was four incredible years led by him, and I’m very thankful for the years he gave our team, this organization, the city.”

Interestingly, Altman only learned of James’s decision via a phone call from agent Rich Paul after it had been publicly announced, and had no idea that the star forward was meeting with Magic Johnson immediately after getting off the phone with Cleveland when the free agent period opened.

“I didn’t know that was going on,” Altman said. “I didn’t know that was going on.”

The Cavaliers have been very gracious about James’s departure. He won a title there, and it sounds like his heart was set on Los Angeles from the start.