NCAA Tournament sleepers Cavs could acquire via draft or as UFA’s

The Cleveland Cavaliers season is winding down and Koby Altman and company will soon turn their complete attention to June’s NBA Draft, and there could be some sleepers to acquire there or through undrafted free agency.

While everyone’s eyes are on Duke studs like Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett as well as high profile freshmen like North Carolina’s Coby White, Nassir Little and Keldon Johnson, there are talented players all over the field, with most having already been eliminated prior to the Final Four.

Here are five guys that Koby Altman may want to keep an eye on, whether it be with the Houston Rockets pick Cleveland has in the first round (which is currently projected to be 25th, per Tankathon) or even as potential undrafted players to take a flyer on in summer league play.

Cameron Johnson, G/F, UNC

Cam Johnson is often the forgotten man when it comes to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The 6-foot-9 guard/forward transferred from lowly Pitt after the 2016-17 season.

Johnson is a knockdown shooter with an absolutely beautiful jumper. He led qualified players in the ACC in three-point percentage at 45.7 percent, per Sports Reference.

He is already 23 years old, which will be a big drawback, and his draft status is a little unclear. A team could feasibly take a flyer on him toward the beginning of the second round.

While the Cavs don’t have a second-rounder this year, maybe they’ll find their way into the second round come draft night through a minor trade and/or cash considerations.

Terance Mann, F, Florida State

Terance Mann is a really good all-around basketball player. He’s not necessarily a reliable jump shooter but he did show a much-improved three ball this year, shooting at 39.0 percent.

He can get to the basket, both in the half-court and in transition, and is a good finisher there.

He averaged 11.4 points per game, 6.5 boards, and 2.5 assists his senior year. Mann was also reportedly the leader in the locker room on a very good Florida State team and checks all the boxes when it comes to the intangibles.

He will most likely go undrafted, according to many draft projections, and with that likely being the case, he’s a guy the Cleveland Cavaliers should definitely look to add to their summer league squad.

Phil Booth, G. Villanova

Despite a disappointing run from the defending champs, Booth had an excellent season, and had 18.6 points per game, to go with 3.8 assists.

Booth had a tremendous five-year career at Nova that saw him win two national championships and be named to the All-Tournament team in 2015-16.

He also figures to be an undrafted guy who will find his way onto a G League roster next year, and hopefully, that’ll be with the Canton Charge.

Aubrey Dawkins, G, UCF

Aubrey Dawkins had one of the best games of the tournament against Duke in the round of 32 when he dropped 32 points on 12-18 shooting (including hitting five-of-seven on threes) on the Blue Devils, per ESPN.

Dawkins came into the tournament as an unknown to most, playing at UCF – not exactly a powerhouse. He did play his first two years at Michigan, where he was a solid contributor mostly off the bench.

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Dawkins is a career 42.2 percent shooter from downtown (over the course of three seasons) and has solid size and athleticism. His game seems like it could translate well to the NBA in a bench role.

Nonetheless, he is already 23, despite having one year of eligibility left (as he sat out one year, per NCAA transfer rules and missed a full season reportedly with injury) but he’ll likely declare for the draft.

It would seem that there is a good chance of him going undrafted, though.

D’Marcus Simonds, G, Georgia State

Simonds is a small school prospect with pro potential. The 2017-18 Sun Belt Player of the Year was relatively down this season in terms of production, but still averaged 18.4 points per game (on 50.1 percent true shooting, per Sports Reference) for a Georgia State team the won the conference.

He can score, and has demonstrated he can do it against solid competition in games against Cincinnati and Houston in the tournament. The biggest concern is his three point shooting ability, both off the catch and off the bounce, as he shot just 28.2 percent from there this year.

His scoring ability will likely help him find his way onto a G League roster, however, and perhaps he could develop with the Charge.