PHILADELPHIA -- When the Cleveland Cavaliers opened their season Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers, it didn't just mean excitement for the start of something new for Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. It was also a reminder of the disappointment the coach felt from what didn't come to pass this summer.
LeBron James was in a Sixers uniform playing against Atkinson's team, rather than beginning a third stint with the franchise that drafted James. That disappointment might have gotten worse after the 76ers overcame a 29-point deficit to beat the Cavs 114-106.
"We were anticipating and excited [to land James] and then you have that [news]," Atkinson said pregame when asked about James going to Philadelphia. "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, along with Minnesota, Miami, Golden State and Philadelphia, was one of the five finalists James considered after telling the Los Angeles Lakers that he would pursue free agency to play a record-setting 24th NBA season elsewhere.
And Cleveland was the only one of those teams that James visited, meeting with Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman, vice president of business operations Grant Gilbert and now-Cavs general manager Brandon Weems, who has been a close friend to James since childhood.
James picked the Sixers, signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option for next season. On the day of his decision, he acknowledged Cleveland in a post on X, writing: "Northeast Ohio will always [be] home!"
Postgame Thursday, James was asked about the meeting with the Cavs and how much he weighed them as an option.
"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."
Atkinson credited the Cavs for pivoting from James and piecing together a five-team move to acquire forward Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal, parting with Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Tre Mann and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick.
Watson, 24, signed a four-year, $88 contract with Cleveland after the trade.
"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."
Watson had eight points on 2-for-7 shooting, two assists, two steals and five turnovers in his Cavs debut. James had 17 points on 5-for-14 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and five turnovers in his second game with Philadelphia.
James said he already started to feel right at home, 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."
