Cavaliers Rumors: Rounding Up Top Buzz Entering 2018 NBA Draft Lottery
In the hour leading up to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be worrying about more than just making adjustments to beat the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland goes into Tuesday's NBA draft lottery with a slim chance to score the seventh No. 1 overall pick in franchise history.
Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins have all been taken No. 1 by Cleveland, with four of them coming in the last 15 years.
The Cavaliers own the Brooklyn Nets' first-round selection from the Irving trade with the Boston Celtics last summer.
With their natural first-round pick going to the Los Angeles Lakers, the lottery pick represents the only selection the Cavs will make in the first 30 picks.
The Nets' 28-54 record was the eighth-worst in the NBA, which means the chances of the Cavaliers winning the lottery are minuscule.
Cleveland enters Tuesday night with a 2.8 percent chance to win the lottery and a 9.9 percent chance to land in the top three, as Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan outlined:
Of course, the Cavaliers have had terrific luck with the lottery since landing James in 2003, and this year's odds aren't the worst they've faced.
In 2014 when the Cavs earned the No. 1 position and selected Wiggins, they entered the lottery with a 1.7 percent chance of winning, per the team's official website.
Just like he has in the past, Nick Gilbert, the son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, will be one of the representatives of the team at the lottery in Chicago.
Gilbert will be the on-stage participant for Cleveland, while senior director of basketball operations Brock Aller will be in the lottery room, per the NBA Draft's official Twitter account:
While it may not play a major role in bringing James back to Cleveland this summer, a top-three pick could at least intrigue the superstar more to stay put.
If the Cavaliers move up in the lottery from their projected place, they could have the opportunity to select Arizona center Deandre Ayton, Slovenian guard Luka Doncic or Michigan State forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
When it comes to the free-agency front, the buzz surrounding James has been tame in recent weeks, with speculation expected to heat up once the Cavaliers' postseason is done.
A host of contenders could emerge in the James sweepstakes that might intertwine with the races to bring in Kawhi Leonard through a trade and Paul George in free agency.
The Philadelphia 76ers, who lost to Boston in the second round, have let their interest in big names be known in recent days.
The Sixers want to add another piece to the roster headlined by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and co-managing partner Josh Harris has made it clear he doesn't have a problem spending, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"I think the bar is very high for us in terms of who we are going to put on this team," Harris said. "But on the other hand, for a certain small number of players, like we are going to go after them hard."
The Sixers could be an even more intriguing landing spot for James if they win the lottery by way of the Lakers' first-round pick.
Philadelphia keeps the Lakers' pick if it garners the No. 1 overall selection or from pick No. 6 and lower (the Boston Celtics would get it if L.A. gets the Nos. 2-5 positions). If the Sixers somehow win the lottery, it would give them another piece to entice James to leave Cleveland with.
Of course plenty will change in the coming months, but Tuesday's lottery could be a step in the right direction for teams looking to have James on their roster for the 2018-19 season.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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