The upcoming draft is approaching for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 2020 NBA Draft is just weeks away, slated to be on Nov. 18, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a few decisions to make until then. The Cavs are slated to pick at fifth overall but, there isn’t a clear direction of what needs they want to fill.
Reports say that the Cavaliers will look at “best player available” and could look to trade the pick if a deal is put on their table. Albeit it would appear that Cleveland will be mostly looking at wing or big, unless LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards were to fall some how, per a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
With the potential for a move, though, in mind, the question persists of whether or not the Cavaliers should trade their 2020 NBA draft pick. A potential trade-up scenario doesn’t seem intriguing for the Cavaliers, so any trade would see them moving down in the draft.
That’s unless they were looking for a package centered on an established player, which per a report from Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico, could seemingly play out. But it would still seem more likely that a trade down would be a more feasible move, if they looked to make a deal.
Anyway, looking at the team, the Cavaliers need to add defense in this draft and can do so seeing as this draft is loaded with defensive talent. Staying put could see them miss out on gaining extra assets while trading down could see them miss out on a top prospect.
Considering that, here, we’ll look at the option of trading down from both angles and come to a final verdict for the Cavs.
A trade down for the Cavaliers makes sense in what is referred to as a “weak” draft. The 2020 NBA Draft isn’t filled with “generational talents” or a definitive number one pick, comparable to the 2013 NBA Draft. With this in mind, the Cavaliers should look to acquire assets for future drafts rather than shoot for the stars this year.
It is expected that players with defensive, shooting and playmaking abilities will be available well into the second round. The Cleveland Cavaliers could look to trade down with a point guard-needy team such as the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons. Both of these teams have future picks and young talent that the Cavaliers could look to add.
Depending on how much these teams love the available point guards, the Cavaliers could come away with a lot.
Looking at other examples, the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards are other teams that could make trade-up moves, to name a few.
For the Wizards and Celtics, the center position can be seen as an area of improvement. James Wiseman and Onyeka Okongwu would be near-perfect fits for the two teams and both teams have young talent that coincides with the centers’ careers.
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The Suns, Magic and Kings could view this as a move to take best player available, depending on how the board shapes up.
The Magic and Kings have big men who the Cavaliers should look into (Mohamed Bamba, Marvin Bagley Jr.) while the Suns could look to move on from Kelly Oubre Jr., seeing as he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.
That said, as intriguing as a trade down may look, it could be better for the Cavaliers to stay put and take a player of need.
The Cavaliers are slated to have a chance at Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro, and Devin Vassell, all of which would provide defensive versatility for the Cavaliers.
Granted, Vassell’s new shooting motion is not exactly likely to help his case in the draft, and after shooting 41.7 percent in two seasons at Florida State from three-point range, it’s puzzling as to the reason for that.
Anyhow, as it stands, the most likely player for the Cavaliers looks to be Okoro. Okoro, who had 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in 2019-20 in Auburn, has drawn comparisons to Andre Iguodala and Jimmy Butler with his slashing, defense and underrated playmaking abilities.
The main concern looks to be Okoro’s shot but with how the Cavaliers player development staff has helped players such as Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr. as shooters, they could seemingly make a difference in that realm.
To keep it simple, if the Cavaliers really like a player, a trade down doesn’t make sense and it would be best for them to take their guy.
Looking at everything that was said and assessing the team, staying put seems to be the best option of the Cavaliers, depending on the board. Adding more young talent would take away from the young players that are already established on the team.
The trades that I mentioned seem to be a lot to give for a fifth overall pick in an underwhelming draft and there is little to no chance that the Cavaliers get a pick next year for their pick this year.
At the end of the day, the Cavaliers will make a move that they believe will help them win more games and aid in the progression of pieces such as Sexton, Darius Garland and others.