2011 NBA Draft: How the Cavaliers Get Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams
The Cleveland Cavaliers scouting department and General Manager Chris Grant will have some work on their hands for the next month.
Should they take Kyrie Irving with the first pick and hope Enes Kanter falls to pick No. 4? Or do they take Derrick Williams with the first overall pick and guarantee themselves either Enes Kanter or Brandon Knight with the fourth pick?
Those seem to be the two options most analysts and fans are considering right now. The third option may seem impossible, but that is hardly the truth. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a very good chance of acquiring both Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams and here’s how.
Option 1: A Little Bit of Luck
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The Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz are selecting ahead of the Cavaliers after they make their first pick. Almost every mock draft you see has Derrick Williams going second to Minnesota. Williams is expected to be a small forward in the NBA that has some power forward attributes.
While I think Williams is the second-best player in the draft, teams don’t always draft the best available player. Sometimes they draft a player for potential or to fill a need.
What do the Jazz and Timberwolves have in common? They both have depth and recent top 10 draft picks that play Williams’ position.
Minnesota has Michael Beasley, Martell Webster and Wesley Johnson (fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft) at small forward and Kevin Love and Anthony Randolph at power forward.
Utah has two free agents at small forward (C.J. Miles and Andrei Kirilenko) that may re-sign with the team and the ninth overall pick in 2010 Gordon Hayward. At power forward, the Jazz have Paul Millsap locked into a contract and big-time prospect Derrick Favors.
There is a chance that this scenario plays out for the Cavs, but it’s unlikely that the Jazz pass on Williams if they don’t re-sign Miles or Kirilenko.
Option 2: Use the Trade Exception and Current Cavaliers Players
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The Cavs could use their trade exception a number of ways. They can acquire a player for themselves, they can help facilitate a trade between two other teams or they could take on a bad contract from another team to get another draft pick (similar to the Baron Davis deal).
I’ve heard rumors that the Cavs are looking at acquiring a player like Rudy Gay or Andre Iguodala with their trade exception. I think they would be better served using it to acquire younger players like Williams.
It’s unknown what Minnesota’s and Utah’s plans are for this offseason. Rumor has it that Minnesota wants to add veteran pieces, and Utah is looking to get younger.
The Cavs could come up with some sort of package for Williams including their fourth overall pick, current players (Daniel Gibson, Christian Eyenga, etc.) or money from the trade exception to bring in another player.
Option 3: Trade One or Two of the Nine Draft Picks the Cavs Have Through 2013
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The Cavaliers own the following draft picks (not including the first and fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft):
The Cavs are only asking to move up one or two spots so it shouldn’t take too much.
I personally wouldn’t trade away any of our own future first-round picks, because they could possibly be lottery picks. I think a combination of all the other picks should be up for grabs though.
Would Minnesota be willing to move two spots down for the fourth overall pick, Miami’s 2012 first-round pick and one of the second-round picks? The Timberwolves could continue to develop Wesley Johnson and add either Brandon Knight or Enes Kanter. That seams like a pretty fair deal to me.
The Future Looks Good
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Yesterday, the Cavaliers went to the lottery with high hopes after a tough year. A few ping pong balls later, and suddenly, the Cavaliers’ future is looking much brighter.
The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted a young small forward in 2007 and a young point guard in 2008.
Look at their team now. They are in the Western Conference Finals and have a young core that are all under 23 years old. The Thunder could potentially be on top of the Western Conference standings for the next 10-12 years.
The Cavs have a chance to build a team the same way. There will be a maturation process next season, so expect the Cavs to be in the lottery again next year. Imagine a team built around Irving, Williams and a 2012 prospect (Jared Sullinger, Austin Rivers, Anthony Davis, Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes, etc.).
Within the next couple of years, the Cavs will have some cap space, and with young stars on the team, they could be an attractive free-agent destination. It may even be attractive enough for a certain ringless Miami Heat small forward who once said, ''if there was an opportunity for me to return and those fans welcome me back, that'd be a great story”.
With the NBA Draft approaching, NBA Mock Draft season is here. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated mock drafts, along with the latest NBA Draft news, analysis, rumors and predictions.
