Constructing the perfect dream offseason for the Cavs

Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Draft Wendell Moore at 39; stash 58

The Cavs go into draft night with a pair of second-round picks, the 39th pick and the 56th pick that is being called 58 due to Miami and Chicago forfeiting picks (thanks NBA for making this confusing). The depth of this class means someone will be available at 39 who is likely a Top-30 guy on the Cavs’ board, and they should pounce on another rotation player with the selection.

Based on current mock drafts, let’s say that player is Wendell Moore; he is being mocked as high as 23 and as low as the mid-40s, so this seems very reasonable. Moore is 6’6″ with a 7’1″ wingspan, and while he played three years at Duke is still just 20 years old as one of the youngest players in his class.

Moore blossomed this past season into a do-it-all player on the wing, serving as the backup point guard and their best wing defender, able to take on point guards and power forwards. He isn’t going to be a dynamic on-ball scoring threat, but he doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses in his game. If his shot, which took a leap forward this season, can be a true weapon, then Moore will be a steal at a position of need for the Cavs at 39. His slide down the draft boards is somewhat inexplicable.

The draft absolutely thins out in the 40s, however, especially with many players turning down two-way contracts to try and hit unrestricted free agency and sign with the team of their choice. Given the Cavs may be facing something of a roster crunch depending on the rest of their offseason (and will in this example) drafting an international player they can “stash” overseas for another season or two seems like the wise move. Let’s say they go with Matteo Spagnolo, a combo guard from Italy who is just 19 years old.