Report: Cavs Fielding Trade Offers for NBA Draft Pick to Entice LeBron James

Free agency won't play out until July, but the Cleveland Cavaliers will approach this week's draft with LeBron James in mind.

According to Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon, the Cavaliers are taking calls on the No. 8 overall pick in Thursday's draft in hope of landing a veteran who can improve their roster as well as give James a reason to re-sign.

Cleveland is in a tough spot regarding its top pick. It was a key part of last offseason's Kyrie Irving deal and is one of the only pieces that remains—Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas were moved at the trade deadline, while young center Ante Zizic remains with the Cavs.

With the depth in this year's draft class, it's possible the team could land a future star at No. 8.

However, holding on to the draft pick could mean losing James, whose status is unclear. The Cavs traded No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love back in 2014 when James returned to The Land. 

That trade wound up helping the franchise reach four consecutive NBA Finals and win its first championship in 2016.

Now the Cavaliers have to figure out what to do.

There's no guarantee that a trade will keep James in Cleveland. The Irving trade does not look good in retrospect, although that could change if the Brooklyn pick results in a star. The midseason roster overhaul that brought George Hill and Rodney Hood to town didn't play out as hoped, as the Cavs were swept out of the Finals.

Unless the team acquires a veteran under control for years to come, keeping the pick may be beneficial to the organization—especially if the Akron native leaves. But not trading the pick could give James the impression the team is focused on the future rather than 2019.

In other words, Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has a lot to think about over the next couple days.