3 Cavs players on the hot seat after 2022 NBA Draft

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Moses Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Jason Miller/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3 Cavs players on the hot seat after 2022 NBA Draft: Moses Brown

Moses Brown joined the Cavs late last season, signing on for a two-way deal before being promoted to a full contract at the end of the season. He played in 14 games, including five starts, primarily when Jarrett Allen missed time down the stretch due to injury.

Brown is not technically on the roster, but he is a restricted free agent with the Cavs currently owning his rights. There was (and is) a very slim possibility he makes it back onto the 15-man roster as the team’s third center, but almost certainly Brown’s pathway to sticking with the team was on a two-way deal in his last season of eligibility for such a slot.

Then the Cavs drafted Isaiah Mobley, a player with obvious ties to the roster and who will almost certainly need that two-way slot. That takes away Brown’s spot, and probably the Cavs’ need for a developmental big. It would not be surprising now to see him cut free to go try and find a spot elsewhere in the league. His rebounding and athletic potential should see him land somewhere, but it’s not looking like that landing spot will be in Cleveland.

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The good news for all of these players is that the Cavs are likely adding just one draft pick to their full roster and one two-way, with Khalifa Diop and Luke Travers playing overseas for at least next season. That lessens the roster crunch, but it doesn’t erase it. Especially on the wing, the competition for minutes and a secure roster spot will be fierce, and the 2022 NBA Draft only heightened that competition.