NBA Draft Lottery Preview: What’s at stake for the Cavs?

NBA Draft Lottery Burning Question #1: Who do the Cavs take at No. 1?

Sitting at 14th in the NBA Draft Lottery means the Cavs will almost certainly end up with the 14th pick, but there is that sliver of possibility they make a leap into the Top 4. If they were to win the lottery, who should they take at No. 1?

We dug into that possibility earlier today; the final answer was Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr., a 6’10 two-way force with the shot to survive as a jumbo-3 alongside Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Taking Smith would also mean the Cavs’ fourth top-10 pick from an SEC school in five seasons, joining Collin Sexton (Alabama), Isaac Okoro (Auburn) and Darius Garland (Vanderbilt); how’s that for some trivia?

NBA Draft Lottery Burning Question #2: Should the Cavs trade the pick?

The Cavs made a win-now move at the NBA Trade Deadline this past February, sending a premium 2nd-round pick and a lottery-protected first to the Indiana Pacers for Caris LeVert. After a rocky start for LeVert, the Cavs missed out on the playoffs and kept that pick, deferring their obligation to next season.

Could the Cavs go back to that well and trade this pick again? The Stepien Rule would prevent them from trading the pick prior to the draft (you can’t trade first-round future picks in consecutive drafts) but they could work out a draft-night deal to flip the pick (likely 14th) for a veteran player. With the Cavs looking to make the playoffs next year, would that be the way to go?

NBA Draft Lottery Burning Question #3: Who makes up the core?

Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen make for an indisputable and hyper-talented young core, one that should serve as the foundation for a perennial playoff contender. The question is whether the Cavs’ front office sees any other players as part of that core. If Sexton or LeVert is considered part of that core, the team may not look to add help at the 2; similarly, if Lauri Markkanen is viewed as a locked-in starter, the team may lean towards 2/3s and not pure small forwards.

The NBA Draft Lottery is a tense and exciting affair, and in recent years plenty of unlikely outcomes have kept the unlikely in play and sown hope across all 14 teams. Will the Cavs strike gold? Or will one of their Eastern Conference rivals land the premium pick needed to build their own elite young core? Tune in tonight at 8:00pm to find out!