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The Cavaliers should keep the Nets’ 2018 draft pick

By Kameron Duncan

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 26: A general view of the crowd as fire erupts from the jumbotron during player introductions before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena on May 26, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 26: A general view of the crowd as fire erupts from the jumbotron during player introductions before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena on May 26, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers received a 2018 1st round draft pick from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade. With a stacked class of prospects in next year’s draft, the Cavs would be better served to hold on to the pick.

The NBA Draft can change a franchise overnight, and the Cleveland Cavaliers should believe in the process.

Several teams have had their fortunes altered in an instant by selecting blue-chip prospects at the top of the draft. The Pelicans did it with Anthony Davis, who became one of the league’s premier big men almost instantly. The Clippers selection of Blake Griffin in 2009 was the catalyst for the team’s most successful period ever.

And of course, the Cavaliers did it in 2003 by selecting none other than LeBron James with the first overall pick.

The draft isn’t an exact science, and the possibility for a blunder is evident. Still, more often than not, the players taken high in the NBA Draft go on to have successful or even legendary careers.

This is why the Cavaliers should keep the Brooklyn Nets’ 1st round pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

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The Cavs received the pick from the Boston Celtics in late August, as part of the deal to send Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. While the Cavaliers did receive an All-Star in Isaiah Thomas and an elite perimeter defender in Jae Crowder, many believed the pick to be the highlight of the deal.

According to several different media outlets, the Nets are expected to be among the league’s worst teams this season. They have a roster comprised of several players with high potential but little experience or seasoning. The general consensus is that adding players like D’Angelo Russell and Allen Crabbe will help, but not amount to much more than marginal improvement.

Since the Cavaliers own the Nets’ draft pick, it’s very likely that Cleveland will be selecting in the lottery of the 2018 NBA Draft. This year’s crop of prospects is one of the best in recent memory, meaning that the Cavs could potentially land a franchise player.

Players like Michael Porter Jr., who has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett, will be available. Michael Bagley, who tested his game this summer against the likes of James Harden and Demar DeRozan in the Drew League, will be among the top prospects. DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, and Mohamed Bamba, all five-star recruits and prospects, will be selected.

Adding any one of these players to an already formidable Cavs roster would cement them as one of the league’s elite teams. It also gives them an insurance policy should LeBron James or Dwyane Wade suffers significant decline or retire.

The Cavs are (justifiably) in “win-now” mode. They have perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game in his prime, and hungry for championships. However, that doesn’t mean they should lose sight of the future.

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As much as we all don’t want to see it, there will come a day when LeBron James has to retire. When that happens, one of these players could help the Cavs continue to compete in his absence.