Cavaliers Rumors: 2020 Draft's Deni Avdija, Theo Maledon, Killian Hayes Scouted

The Cleveland Cavaliers are virtual locks for an NBA draft lottery pick. With a 19-46 record that ranks last in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs certainly have their eyes on the future—and they appear to be trained on a few prospects in particular.

According to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, the Cavs have already identified a few players who could head to Ohio via the 2019 draft:

"Israeli swingman Deni Avdija is on the radar. The Cavs have done extensive work on him. Director of scouting Brandon Weems saw Avdija in person earlier this season. [General manager Koby] Altman returned in early March from an in-person trip to Tel Aviv. [Assistant GM Mike] Gansey stayed overseas a bit longer, watching three Avdija games and bouncing around to other locations to get one last look at some other international prospects, including Theo Maledon, Killian Hayes and Leandro Bolmaro."

While that doesn't mean Cleveland wouldn't select James Wiseman or Anthony Edwards—the consensus best two prospects—should it land a top pick, this draft class has been compared to the weak pool of 2013 and may lead teams to lean more on overseas scouting.

In his latest draft big board, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic was bullish on Avdija, a 19-year-old who can play the 3 or 4, and called him the year's "top international prospect":

"His feel for the game is quite strong, and he can play in ball-screens as well as use his 6-foot-9 frame's length to his advantage and score at the basket. He's a strong passer who can play on the ball, and he has improved his ability to play away from it this season. He needs to improve his left hand as a ballhandler if he's going to hit his ceiling as a playmaker, but there are a lot of tools here to buy into him as a starter-quality player at the NBA level."

Vecenie also touted Hayes, the French guard who has landed in the top 10 of various draft boards all season: "Few 18-year-old prospects combine the ability to attack and probe off the bounce with a polished, quick-twitch change-of-pace handle with elite-level passing ability. His vision is absolutely off the charts, and his ability to complete passes off of a live dribble with his left hand is unbelievable out of ball screens."

Pairing Hayes with Collin Sexton in the backcourt could prove to be a solid move for the Cavs with Kevin Love and Andre Drummond manning the paint.

As for Maledon and Bolmaro, they appear more suited for late-round selections.

Then again, Cleveland has been known to take big swings during the draft, though the last time that happened with a weak class, the Cavs ended up with Anthony Bennett at No. 1 overall in 2013.

Bennett lasted just one year in Cleveland and hasn't played in the NBA since 2017.