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Potential trades for Cavs’ 2022 NBA Draft lottery pick

By Quinn Minnich

Evan Mobley (#4, right on-ball) and Jarrett Allen (#31, left) defend. (Photo by Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)
Evan Mobley (#4, right on-ball) and Jarrett Allen (#31, left) defend. (Photo by Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by David Richard-USA TODAY Sports) /

Cleveland does not have a backup center at this point, as Ed Davis and Moses Brown are both slated to be free agents, and neither are top-end backups. In this trade, Cleveland gets a great backup center who can protect the paint when Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley are off the court. Noel has a stellar 109.8 defensive rating, and has a block percentage of 5.4% as well, statistically making him one of the best shot blockers in the league.

For New York, you get Cedi Osman, who can be flipped, and a first-round pick which can get you a talented player to help grow your young core alongside R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Obi Toppin. The first-round pick via Dallas next year should not be a very good first-rounder, as it should be slated anywhere from 20-30. The San Antonio pick will be around the middle of the second round, so you can still get a decent player there. If New York is considered a rebuilding team this offseason, I could see them making this move. If they are not rebuilding, I doubt this move would be made for New York, as Noel can help the Knicks compete next year defensively.

In this trade, Cleveland gets a solid backup big man, and in my opinion, one of the most underrated players in the league. Poeltl averaged 1.7 blocks per game this season, ranking 5th overall this season. He also collected the 4th-most total offensive rebounds this season at 262, making it 3.9 offensive rebounds per night. His field goal percentage ranked sixth this season at 61.8 percent. Sure, Poeltl is not an offensive monster, but his good defense and great rebounding abilities could really help Cleveland.

Also, Cleveland gets Tre Jones, a solid backup point guard who averaged 6.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per night. Currently, Jones ranks second overall in assist to turnover ratio, only behind his brother, Tyus Jones. Jones is a good playmaker and a solid defender, being the winner of the 2019-20 ACC DPOY and being a two-time ACC All-Defensive player in college. Jones has not been given much of an opportunity, as the Spurs already have All-Star Dejounte Murray and used their last two lottery picks on guards Devin Vassell and Josh Primo. If he played in Cleveland, he’d be the primary backup ball handler.

For San Antonio, you get another pick to stockpile in this rebuild. You lose your starting center, but that gives opportunity to Zach Collins, who has been plagued with injuries in his career but still holds some promise. Tre Jones’ ceiling for the Spurs would be a solid backup point guard, but definitely not a starter because of Dejounte Murray. This in turn can give more minutes to Romeo Langford, Josh Primo, and Devin Vassell.