The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be sniffing around the NBA Draft for the next month, talking to teams and discussing potential trades. It’s most likely the Cavs will end up selecting a player at No. 14 when the 2022 NBA Draft rolls around on June 23rd, but there is absolutely a strong chance they trade up, down or out depending on what deals come their way.
One potential trade partner is the Sacramento Kings. Currently riding the league’s longest postseason drought at 16 straight seasons. That means 16 years of lottery picks who haven’t come together to help the Kings emerge out of the basement of the league.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will consider all possible trades to move up or down in the 2022 NBA Draft. Could the Cavs trade with the Kings for the No. 4 pick?
Last week during the NBA Draft Lottery the Kings jumped up in the order to claim the No. 4 overall pick. They could absolutely end up using that pick, but there is also an excellent chance they end up moving it in a trade. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer was one of many to report the Kings could trade down from the fourth pick (or out entirely) in order to land a win-now, impact veteran.
Could the Cavs and the Kings end up as trade partners? On the surface, it seems questionable, as the Cavs are also trying to end a playoff drought of their own. Yet there are a couple of compelling reasons why a deal could take place, so let’s take a deeper look.
Cavs / Kings trade in NBA Draft: Why Sacramento might do it
Good organizations put a general manager in place, allow that person to hire a head coach, and the two work in tandem to try and achieve success. Bad organizations keep both the coach and GM on opposite schedules, firing one or the other in an endless cycle as neither is able to be maximized working alongside someone with a different timeline and often different priorities.
Such it has been with the Kings for years and years, and once again the team is bringing in a new head coach in Mike Brown while retaining Monte McNair to run basketball operations. McNair is certainly embattled and will likely consider win-now moves, just as he did at the last NBA Trade Deadline when he flipped young guard Tyrese Haliburton for All-Star big Domantas Sabonis, a move that was largely panned at the time.
The Kings therefore want to add veteran contributors now, but not necessarily old veterans. That’s what the Cavs come in. If the Kings want an offensive powerhouse they could make a move for Collin Sexton in a sign-and-trade; No. 4 and Justin Holiday for Sexton and No. 14? They could also make a move for starters around their two tentpole “stars” with Caris LeVert and Lauri Markkanen prime options.
Would the Kings trade No. 4 and matching salary to the Cavs for Markkanen, Isaac Okoro, No. 14 and No. 39? It’s absolutely a possibility, as the Kings would add a viable starter who can stretch the court around Sabonis and still have a lottery pick. They may have better offers out there, but only a handful of teams can offer a lottery pick as part of the package coming back. Perhaps the Cavs could therefore stick in the running.
Cavs / Kings trade in NBA Draft: Why Cleveland would do it
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an excellent young core, but they still have difficult decisions to make in how best to surround and build off of it. Adding a player at pick No. 14 can absolutely help them towards that goal, but adding a blue-chip talent would be an even greater boon.
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are all entrenched as starters at the 1, 4. and 5. It’s highly unlikely any of those three would be moved in a trade. Yet everyone else around them on the team seems questionable to be a starter on this team when the Cavs come into their prime, and thus are somewhat expendable in the search for another core piece.
Whether Jaden Ivey, Shaedon Sharpe, Keegan Murray or even Bennedict Mathurin catches Koby Altman’s eye, if he is convinced that player has a high chance of being a long-term starter, the time is now to pull the trigger. Evan Mobley showed last season that the right rookie can start helping a team win now, and this team’s window is still multiple years down the road. Pulling a win-now trade doesn’t make sense; adding an elite prospect to their young core does.
Obviously, the cost matters, and the Cavs can’t mortgage their roster just to move up 10 slots in what is widely regarded as a weaker draft. Yet if they do add a top prospect and that player explodes, the Cavs will have something truly special on their hands.