3 Cavs players on the hot seat after 2022 NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is a time of excitement for the fans of NBA teams, with new players brimming with hope and potential joining teams with a chance to become something special. For winning teams, newly drafted players offer an opportunity to get over the hump; for losing teams, they are the promise of a brighter tomorrow. Teams in the middle, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, are often trying to capture both.

For the players already on those teams, however, the draft is something else. It’s a time of uncertainty and perhaps even anxiety. Star players have little to fear, but what about a team’s fifth guard or third center? The draft is an opportunity for a team to draft their replacement, and that young buck riding in on a wave of potential could spell the end of their tenure or, perhaps, their NBA career.

The 2022 NBA Draft brings hope to a team, but also uncertainty to the current players. Which Cavs are on the hot seat now that the draft is over?

The Cavs took four players in the 2022 NBA Draft. With the 14th overall pick they selected Ochai Agbaji, a 6’5″ wing out of Kansas. Then with three second round picks they selected two “draft-and-stash” candidates in center project Khalifa Diop and combo forward Luke Travers of Australia. Finally, they drafted Isaiah Mobley, Evan’s older brother, a forward out of USC.

Which players on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster have reason to fear for their roster spot in light of those four picks? While the star players are safe, the role players are not as the Cavs continue to grind their way to a rotation that fits around those three foundational stars. With new talent coming in, who could be heading out? Which Cavs are on the proverbial “hot seat” heading into free agency?