Ranking the Cavaliers’ top 13 trade assets for 2023-24

Cavaliers’ trade asset No. 9: ’27-’29 second-round picks

This middle tier of the Cavaliers’ trade assets is made up of their future picks. Most of their draft capital is outgoing from the Donovan Mitchell trade, so what remains are those picks on the margins. Here in ninth place we have grouped together the second-round picks for the Cavs from 2027 to 2029.

Those years are far enough out that the Cavs may have taken a step back as a team at the top of the league’s standings, but there isn’t a ton of upside. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley will almost certainly still be around, and if Donovan Mitchell signs his next deal with the Cavaliers he will still be firmly in his prime. They are more valuable than this year’s pick because of the upside, but there isn’t much there.

Cavaliers’ trade asset No. 8: 2030 first-round pick swap

Starting with the new league year the Cavs and other teams can now deal their 2030 draft picks. Because Cleveland owes its 2029 first-round pick to the Utah Jazz it cannot trade the 2030 first-round pick outright, but they can offer the rights to a pick swap. 2030 is far enough out that this group may have broken up or otherwise undergone some massive event that broke them down from a contender to a rebuilding team. That’s the upside this pick would hold and why it has a whiff of value on the trade market.

Cavaliers’ trade asset No. 7: 2026 Lakers second-round pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers primarily own their own second-round picks going forward, but one extra pick they own belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2026. By then, LeBron James will be 41 years old and Anthony Davis will be both 33 years old and potentially a free agent. The Lakers as currently constructed will either look very different or have broken up entirely. This pick has realistic upside to land at the top of the second round and is their best asset among their available picks.