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Cavaliers Rumors: CLE Interested in Trading Back in 2022 NBA Draft for Future 1st
June 18, 2022
After just missing out on the playoffs this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently scheduled to pick No. 14 overall in the 2022 NBA draft on Thursday.
Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com, the Cavs are "open" to moving back in the first round if they can acquire a future first-round pick.
It's unclear from the report if Cleveland has targeted a specific player in the draft who might be available later in the first round.
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projects the Cavs to select Kansas' Ochai Agbaji with their top pick in his latest mock draft.
There have been questions about the long-term fit between Collin Sexton and Darius Garland as backcourt mates.
Per Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, Sexton is expected to have multiple suitors as a restricted free agent this summer, but the Cavaliers have confidence they can re-sign him at a price that makes sense for both sides.
The roster foundation is incredibly strong with Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen all under contract for at least the next two seasons. Garland was named to the All-Star team this season after leading the team in scoring average (21.7 points per game) and assists (8.6).
The Cavaliers were one of the NBA's most pleasant surprises from the 2021-22 season. They won a combined total of 60 games in three seasons from 2018-21 after LeBron James left to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thanks to improved play from recent lottery picks, some shrewd trades by the front office and the selection of Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, Cleveland went 44-38 and made the play-in tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
It marked the first time the Cavs finished over .500 without James since the 1997-98 season (47-35). They lost to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament to miss the postseason, but the season as a whole was a huge step forward for the organization.