7 best undrafted talents to play for Cleveland Cavaliers

Best undrafted Cavs player No. 2: Timofey Mozgov

Back in 2008 the NBA Draft took place, and a random name was never called: Timofey Mozgov, a center from Russia. He wasn’t expected to be drafted and was not well known even by most scouts and front offices, so that was no big surprise. He would continue to play basketball in Russia, not known for being one of the premier international leagues.

Over the next two years, however, he began to dominate the Russian league, and he began to catch the eye of teams in the NBA. The New York Knicks were the first to act, signing him to a three-year contract in 2010. He joined the team for a few months before he was traded to the Denver as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal.

He played four years with the Nuggets until the 2015 Trade Deadline when the Cavaliers traded for him to man the middle for the second act of the LeBron James Cavs. He started immediately and was a major part of that team coalescing and making a run to the NBA Finals, where he dominated the Warriors until they downshifted into small-ball lineups.

The Cavs shifted to a more open offensive style the next season, and Mozgov played a smaller role, but his per-minute impact and size were such that he earned a highly lucrative contract from the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2016. Mozgov played just two seasons for the Cavs but he made a large impact when he did.