It is time to pay the piper.
Even as the NBA Trade Deadline activity ramps up, and the Cleveland Cavaliers and other contending teams prepare for the stretch run leading into an always-important postseason, NBA front offices have to keep one eye on the 2025 NBA Draft -- and which draft prospects would be an ideal fit.
While last year the Cavaliers did so armed with the 20th overall pick, this time around they will have to wait much longer to make their first selection in the draft. 2025 marks the first season of their payout to the Utah Jazz from the Donovan Mitchell trade; for the next five years, the Jazz control the Cavaliers' draft, outright owning their first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, with first-round pick swaps in 2026 and 2028.
Yet that doesn't mean the Cavaliers won't be drafting at all; in fact, they have a pair of second-round selections in the 2025 draft, including the Milwaukee Bucks' selection in addition to their own (likely to fall at the very end). That means two swings at finding a player to provide some bench depth over the next few seasons as the team gets increasingly more expensive.
The Cavaliers have not had a ton of success in the second round in recent seasons. Emoni Bates hasn't found his NBA footing, Luke Travers is likewise purely a G League player at this point in time, and Isaiah Mobley is now out of the league. Yet other teams have found success at that point in the draft, with recent draftees from the 50s to carve out rotation roles including Trayce Jackson-Davis, Quenten Post, Toumani Camara and Jabari Walker.
Can the Cavaliers do the same in the 2025 Draft? Let's look at the latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft by Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report to see who the Cavaliers draft and who they end up losing to the Phoenix Suns after trading away their first-round pick.
The Cavaliers draft Johni Broome
For those who don't track college basketball as closely as the NBA, the National Player of the Year race looks like it will come down to two players: expected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, and Auburn center Johni Broome.
The 6'10" big man is incredibly strong and powerful, not easily knocked off of his mark and able to bang inside for rebounds and tough finishes. His motor is tremendous, and he fights for every ich, every rebound and every loose ball. He's the kind of player coaches will love because he leaves it out on the court every minute he is in the game.
Broome doesn't have a lot of upside to blossom into a star, but his floor as a solid NBA backup seems fairly set. He is an underrated passer and could fill a number of different roles on offense. The Cavaliers need a backup center, and Broome is a decent swing at finding one.
The Cavaliers draft Brooks Barnhizer
After using Milwaukee's pick to draft one of the best players in college basketball, the Cavaliers use their own pick on an unheralded wing playing for Northwestern named Brooks Barnhizer.
Compared by Wasserman to Austin Reaves, Barnhizer is on the radar of NBA scouts because of his all-around skill set. He is not only a scorer and passer, but he is an excellent defensive playmaker in averaging a combined 3.5 blocks and steals per game. He is not much of a shooter, which is why he falls to the 58th pick, but if that part of his game develops he could take off, similar to Reaves.
The Cavaliers lose Alex Toohey
In his mock draft, Wasserman has the Phoenix Suns selecting on behalf of the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 29th pick. They use that pick on Australian forward Alex Toohey, who is currently playing for the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.
The 6'9" Toohey has a lot of the physical characteristics that NBA scouts love in a draft prospect, with good size and length and a varied skillset. Toohey is excellent in the open court, can take and make shots from a variety of places, and passes the ball well for someone his size.
He's not a perfect prospect, especially with a 3-point shot that is inconsistent when it's not nonexistent entirely. But he has the size and skill to be a rotation player in the NBA, and assuming he goes in the late first or early second the Cavaliers are unlikely to have a chance at drafting him.