After a disappointing and abrupt end to their season, the Cleveland Cavaliers face the offseason trying to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
The Cavaliers have the core of their team set, but they need to find ways to upgrade the rotation around their four stars. They will pursue options in free agency and via trade, but one of the best ways to add inexpensive help is through the NBA Draft.
While the Cavs are a young team, they aren’t restocking their youth at a high level right now nor moving forward. Their first-round pick last season, Ochai Agbaji, went to the Utah Jazz as part of the Donovan Mitchell trade. This year’s pick will go to the Indiana Pacers as part of the deal last season to add Caris LeVert.
The Cavaliers did make use of their second-round picks last season, drafting three different players. Unfortunately, none of them are making an impact right now; Isaiah Mobley was used infrequently on a two-way contract, and their other two picks were draft-and-stash players plying their trade internationally.
That reality only increases the importance of utilizing the draft wisely moving forward. Which picks will be available to the Cavaliers over the next three seasons? Here is a complete breakdown:
Cavaliers 2023 draft picks:
Second-round draft pick from Golden State (No. 49)
Cavaliers 2024 draft picks:
First-round draft pick (own)
Second-round draft pick from Golden State (if 31-55)
Cavaliers 2025 draft picks:
Second-round draft pick (own)
Second-round draft pick from Milwaukee
The draft pick bleed from the Donovan Mitchell trade begins in 2025, at continuing past the end of this list they owe either a first-round pick outright or a pick swap in five-straight seasons. With such glaring needs on the wing on this roster, the Cavs will be using what second-round picks they have to try and shore things up in the rotation.
How many of these picks will the Cavaliers end up making? It’s hard to say definitively, but what is apparent is that the Cavs have their hands largely tied to make major upgrades to this roster. The end of their season was a bitter pill to swallow; the team has to hope they can find something sweet in the draft.
