NBA Draft: 3 targets for Cavs with potential GSW #14 pick via trade

Potential Cavs NBA Draft target #3 with the #14 GSW pick: Cameron Thomas

With the third suggestion for the Cavaliers in this hypothetical, I could’ve played it safe with older prospects such as Corey Kispert or Chris Duarte, but instead, I’m going with, while it’s a bit of a reach probably, Cam Thomas.

I know, Thomas is not a dude that you’re going to bank on developing into a plus defender, but with the likes of Okoro, Mobley/Larry Nance Jr./Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen/perhaps Isaiah Hartenstein in the fold, I’m looking past that.

I wouldn’t anticipate Thomas to be a starter player in Year 1, or maybe Year 2, but even he were to be more of a bench contributor early, Thomas, who had 23.0 points per game in 2020-21, has the potential to be a big-time scorer. He hit just 32.5 percent of his threes in his lone collegiate season at LSU, but the dude has deep range, a quick release and got his production not from simply standstill catch-and-shoot looks.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Thomas gets good lift on his shots, moves well without the ball to get open and could be a knockdown off-movement shooting presence for Darius Garland and the Cavs. And to counter that, he can create for himself manning the 2.

Thomas can get to his spots via jabs, pull-backs, side steps, in-n-outs, floaters and is dynamic in the transition game with his ability to slither through defenses, too. Plus, in regards to settled situations, Thomas has shown feel for getting himself separation for shots on occasion in the mid-post, which could be another weapon in his arsenal in the NBA.

So, while Thomas will likely need time to become more polished/well-rounded to be a starting-type player, for Cleveland, he’s a prospect that especially if Sexton were to be moved, with his shooting/on-ball scoring abilities, should be a clear target.

And if that’d mean at #14 via this potential Golden State deal, perhaps with Damion Lee as an added trade piece, that’d be fine with me.