Cleveland Cavaliers: If he leaves, who can replace David Griffin?

Who could replace Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin if he leaves?

It has been rumored this past month about Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin could leave the defending champs to take a role with the Orlando Magic as the president of basketball of operations. The possibility was first reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarwoski.

Here are the ideal candidates to replace Griffin, in the event that he leaves.

Trent Redden — Vice President of Basketball Operations (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Redden has been with the Cavaliers franchise since the 2007-2008 season. He started out as the Basketball Operations Manager before being promoted to the Director of Pro Player Personnel and then Assistant General Manager. Redden works closely with Griffin and in an effort to promote continuity, would be a great hire. He works closely with General Manager David Griffin, especially in scouting and making player personnel decisions. He also manages the college draft process, which includes the scouting all of the top draft prospects nationally. Redden knows what goes into completing the duties of a general manager on a daily basis of being a general manager and if the Cavs go with an in-house hire, Redden seems the ideal guy to promote.

Kolby Altman — Assistant General Manager, Director of Player Personnel (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Altman has been with the Cavaliers since the 2012-2013 season. He has been promoted several times since joining the Cavaliers and this would be the biggest promotion yet, if the Cavs decide to do an in-house hire. Altman also works closely with Griffin and Altman also helps with the scouting duties for the team. In his role as assistant general manager/director of player personnel, Altman is tasked with talent evaluation of athletes across all levels of basketball, both domestically and abroad. He would also be an ideal candidate if the Cavs decide to go with an in-house hire.

Adam Simon — Assistant General Manager/General Manager (Miami Heat/Sioux Falls Skyforce)

Simon has been with the team for 22 years now and is the assistant general manager for the Miami Heat and general manager for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s exlusive NBA D-League team. Last season, Simon won the NBADL’s inaugural “Executive of the Year” award. Simon works closely with Riley in making player personnel decions. Now, the Heat organization may not like the Cavs organization (well, LeBron anyways), so, who knows if the Heat will really give Cavs permission to talk to Simon. Especially given his expansive roles within the organization. The Miami Heat have made under-the-radar personnel moves that have paid off well as well as blockbuster deals that changed the franchise in Simon’s time with the Heat.

Larry Bird — Consultant (Indiana Pacers)

Bird stepped down as president of the Pacers last week and now is a consultant for the Pacers. He would be a solid replacement if Griffin decides to leave. However, as an organization, you do have to look long-term. He stepped down once in his career and then came back due to issues with his health. For Gilbert, you would have to make sure it makes sense in hiring Bird and that his health will be okay for the job as well. While the Pacers haven’t won any championships under Bird, that story could be different if they didn’t have to go up against LeBron every year.

Keith Grant — Assistant General Manager (Dallas Mavericks)

Grant has been with the Mavericks organization for 37 seasons so saying that’s he’s a veteran in this league is an understatement. Grant has worked closely with president of basketball operations and general manager Donn Nelson and by this point, I’m sure that he knows everything he needs to know about how to perform his jobs. With how long he’s been a part of the Dallas Mavericks organization, I’m sure he has great relationships around the league with executives and players. He would be another ideal candidate as he is another veteran assistant GM.

Who would you want to replace David Griffin as general manager? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.