NBA Draft: A ‘sense’ Evan Mobley to Cavs at 3 should have fans pumped

The 2021 NBA Draft is coming up quick here, as on Thursday, it’s set to commence. From the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ perspective, they’re set to pick #3, and at this point, it appears as if we have a good idea of what they’ll do.

Recent reports/rumors have made it seem as though Evan Mobley could very well end up being the selection there, of which you can view more on here, via KJG’s Justin Brownlow.

Now, Cleveland could potentially end up going with Jalen Suggs, or to a lesser extent, it appears Jonathan Kuminga or Scottie Barnes, but I’d still more so expect that to be Mobley.

And in that realm, these comments from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast recently, The Woj Pod, which featured Charlotte Hornets big Cody Zeller and ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz too, were fairly telling as well. This bit from Wojnarowski was h/t Sam Leweck of Cavaliers Nation.

"“I think right now, there’s a sense of Jalen Green at No. 2 to Houston, Evan Mobley of USC, their big man to the Cavs at 3.”"

These comments from Wojnarowski should have Cavs fans pumped about the 2021 NBA Draft.

The club again, considering recent Cavs rumors, seems poised to feasibly end up selecting Mobley, and as it seems likely that Cade Cunningham goes to the Detroit Pistons at #1 and Jalen Green goes to the Houston Rockets at #2, that’s even more so. That’s to echo Wojnarowski’s sentiment above, which would appear to be a reasonable take.

Granted, the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, at #4 and #5 currently, have reportedly made offers to the Cavs for that #3 pick, but I wouldn’t anticipate Cleveland to end up biting on that. They could very well lose out on the possibility of selecting Mobley if that were the case, and I’d rather them pass, given that.

Now as a side note, as stated in a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (subscription required), the Cavaliers are “rumored to be making overtures to acquire a second pick in the top 10” while “pondering” how viable a sizable contract extension could be for Collin Sexton. He has been a key player mentioned in trade rumors, and the likes of the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have been linked to him as somewhat realistic potential landing spots.

That said, even with the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans and rumored to have interest in trading out for win-now pieces, I’m not certain if a deal could get done there, nor with Golden State. And Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN’s comments in their NBA Draft Special on Sunday expressed their doubts about a potential Sexton trade, so Sexton could continue to develop with Cleveland, anyhow.

With that being the case, Sexton could seemingly still stick around, and/or perhaps play out next season still with the Cavs, and we’d have to see regarding restricted free agency outlook from there. I still also think the Cavaliers would be wise to keep him for at least a chunk of next season, for what it’s worth.

But circling back from that to the Mobley aspect, though Jarrett Allen seems likely to end up being locked up long term/pretty set to have a potential restricted free agent offer sheet matched, I do believe Mobley could fit well with him in time. And in coming years, they could form a big-time defensive duo, for one.

I also believe there’s more that’s untapped offensively from the 23-year-old Allen, who is already a terrific interior finisher and roller/lob threat/screener.

Mobley, to that point, I believe will show stretch big/pick-and-pop qualities, and he already has a guard-like handle, has great touch inside/face-up abilities, and is an outstanding passer.

With all that he could bring to the table in the near future, even while he does need to gain weight gradually, as he’s only 210 pounds currently, these Woj comments/a potential Mobley pick in the NBA Draft should have Cavs fans pumped.

The 7-footer has a very well-rounded and even unicorn-type skill set for a 20-year-old, and in his lone collegiate season, had an impressive 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 assists per game. He was a key reason why the Trojans ended up making a run to the Elite Eight.

Moreover, in a general sense, those Woj comments/Cavs rumors involving Mobley seemingly having a good chance of landing with the Cavs should again have fans of the Wine and Gold pumped.

He could end up being the superstar-level player down the road the team has been hoping for since LeBron James’ second departure, or at least be a rock solid two-way player that I’d imagine they can build around.