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Cavaliers Rumors: Cleveland Attempting to Trade for 2nd Top-10 Pick in 2021 NBA Draft
July 25, 2021
Rebuilds often require plenty of draft capital in the NBA, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly looking to add more of just that ahead of Thursday's draft.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported the Eastern Conference squad that already has the No. 3 overall pick is "one of the most active teams in the league on the trade-talk front, rumored to be making overtures to acquire a second pick in the top 10 while pondering the viability of offering a rich contract extension for leading scorer Collin Sexton."
That Cleveland is "pondering the viability" of making Sexton a major part of its future is notable considering he is scheduled for restricted free agency in 2022 and could theoretically be a trade chip for a high draft pick if the team decides to go that route.
He would also be a valuable player in any trade considering he is just 22 years old and someone who could be a key piece in the backcourt for either a contender or club looking to jump-start the future with a productive young guard.
Sexton averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 37.1 percent of three-pointers during the 2020-21 campaign.
The field-goal percentage and scoring totals were both career-high marks, although the Cavaliers also have Darius Garland in the backcourt and may look to build around him if they trade Sexton and potentially land two picks in the top 10.
A report from Chris Fedor of cleveland.com also highlights how much the Cavaliers like multiple players in this draft:
"The Cavaliers hold the third pick in the draft. While many believe they will choose from an exciting pool of four prospects—Cade Cunningham (likely the top pick), Evan Mobley, Green and Jalen Suggs—the Cavs made a commitment shortly after the lottery to do their due diligence and expand the search beyond that quartet. Fully expecting to be drafting in the 5-10 range before rare lottery luck, the Cavs did plenty of homework on players in that next tier. They like that group. They talked to a few of them at the NBA combine."
It isn't that surprising, then, that the Cavaliers may want to get another top-10 pick and draft two of the players they studied.