The NBA Draft wasn’t simply a time for the Cleveland Cavaliers to add a player with the No. 49 pick. It was also an opportunity for the landscape of the league to change, as teams made trades and drafted players that filled needs and opened up others.
For example, a few days ago we highlighted two free agents who are more available on the market now after draft-day moves made by their teams. The same goes for players under contract, whose teams may have added someone at their position, and in the process turned these players into buy-low trade targets for the Cavaliers.
Let’s go from less established to most established and highlight three buy-low candidates for Cleveland to target.
Buy-low target No. 1: TyTy Washington, Houston Rockets
TyTy Washington was a late first-round pick for the Houston Rockets in the 2022 NBA Draft, a player many draft analysts (myself included) had as a mid-first-level of prospect. He didn’t make a huge impact as a rookie, but Washington still has plenty of upside to be a high-end backup or even low-end starting point guard.
With the Rockets drafting Amen Thompson with the No. 4 pick in last week’s NBA Draft, on top of their stated plans to pursue veteran point guards in free agency, and the writing seems to be on the wall for Washington’s chances at playing time next season or perhaps even a spot on the roster moving forward. That makes him an excellent buy-low candidate, a player who could be had for a future second-round pick.
Washington can step in as the Cavs’ third-string point guard, spend much of next season honing his craft with the Cleveland Charge, then step in to replace Ricky Rubio as the backup behind Darius Garland.