On the night of the 2026 NBA Draft's first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded away pick number 29 to the Sacramento Kings for pick 34 and a future second-round pick.
Cleveland quietly watched in the first round as some of the best targets for the Cavaliers were selected one by one ahead of their turn. Zuby Ejiofor was taken at number 23 by the Atlanta Hawks, a pick traded to them by the Cavs in the De'Andre Hunter trade.
At pick 34, the Cavs selected Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas, a player originally projected for the first round. At 19 years old, Thomas enters the NBA as a high-upside combo guard with a promising three-point shot and NBA-ready frame at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds.
With the 34th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, The Cleveland Cavaliers select Meleek Thomas. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/u7G8C2TSpu
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 25, 2026
In his lone college season, Thomas averaged 15.6 points while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 41.6 percent on 5.3 three-point attempts per game. His greatest asset is his offensive creation and scoring, athough he also showcased good defensive activity with the Razorbacks. NBA's draft profile on Thomas compared him to numerous veteran wings, including fomer champion JR Smith and newly-crowned champion Jordan Clarkson
Cleveland won the draft after losing in the first round
It is not hard to see that Cleveland has a problem with drafting small players. Last year, the Cavs drafted Tyrese Proctor in the second round. Proctor's skill set and build mimic much of what makes Thomas exciting. Both players are mid-sized combo guards with good shooting and solid off-ball talent. Defensively, their lighter weights make both players underwhelming despite good effort.
Fans online called for the Cavaliers to target a big man to back up Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. While Henri Veesaar was still available at 34, the Cavs chose to choose talent and skill over positional fit. Thomas was undoubtedly the best player available, and his addition should make the Cavaliers draft winners.
In the first round, the Cavaliers were big losers. Ejiofor, Tarris Reed, Jr., Allen Graves, Joshua Jefferson and more Cavs targets all disappeared ahead of their selection. When pick 29 arrived, Cleveland had little reason to use the pick for the scraps. By trading back to 34 after their top targets were gone, the Cavaliers made a savvy deal to manage finances this summer more comfortably.
If the Cavs chose Thomas or another rookie at 29, a guaranteed first-year salary of roughly $3.6 would have hit Cleveland's cap sheet. At pick 34, the Cavaliers hold more control over the salary and can offer $2 million less. Financially, that difference could decide if the Cavs can make a trade or sign a free agent or be stuck in the second apron again.
Thomas is not the bruising big man fans wanted. In a vacuum, the selection is a brutally polarizing move. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a surplus of undersized wings and combo guards, and Thomas does nothing to fix that problem. Still, he is a young player with high upside and an already impressive resume of basketball talent. After the Cavs' best possible choices were gone, sliding down to the early second round for Thomas is a major success.
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