Cleveland Cavaliers’ lottery fortune changes, will pick No. 3 in 2021 NBA Draft

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Yappi

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The Cleveland Cavaliers’ lottery luck finally changed on Tuesday night.

After three straight years of failing to move up, the Cavs jumped into the top 4, landing the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity,” said general manager Koby Altman, who was the team’s on-camera representative. “I think it really positions us well. When we started this a few years back we talked about building through the draft and creating sustainable success. There’s some real game-changers at the top of this draft, but also it puts us in a position to capitalize on different opportunities throughout the landscape of the NBA with this position. We’re fortunate to be able to have this pick, add another talented young man to this roster. We’re in good shape from a talent perspective and we’re going to have another large injection of of talent coming soon.
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www.cleveland.com

Cleveland Cavaliers’ lottery fortune changes, will pick No. 3 in 2021 NBA Draft

After three straight years of failing to move up in the order, the Cavs jumped into the top 4, landing the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
www.cleveland.com www.cleveland.com
 
 
This franchise has several major decisions to make this summer with some of the rookie scale contracts that are running short on longevity between Jarrett Allen and Collin Sexton.

I'd be surprised if they don't extend Allen a $100 million plus offer. Sexton I think they will be shopping hard between now and the draft.
 
I don’t understand the hate for Sexton ... while I like Allen a lot ... and want to keep him ... scorers are what make the NBA ... a year ago Trae Young was being treated much like Sexton is now ... but Atlanta went out and surrounded him with veterans ... and look what happened ... while I don’t think Sexton is a true Alpha (like Young) ... I do think he would be a really good Beta ... and Allen is a slightly better version of Tristan Thompson ... I want to keep him ... just not over pay for him ... the biggest problem I have with trading Sexton and starting over with a rookie (like Green) is you get all the growing pains again ... and the return on investment for Sexton does not equal his value IMO ... I suggest keeping both and just adding to the group ... I really think the Cavs with a little bit of luck and health could make a big jump ... just not ready to start over by handing the keys over to another rookie.
 
joesports said:
I don’t understand the hate for Sexton ... while I like Allen a lot ... and want to keep him ... scorers are what make the NBA ... a year ago Trae Young was being treated much like Sexton is now ... but Atlanta went out and surrounded him with veterans ... and look what happened ... while I don’t think Sexton is a true Alpha (like Young) ... I do think he would be a really good Beta ... and Allen is a slightly better version of Tristan Thompson ... I want to keep him ... just not over pay for him ... the biggest problem I have with trading Sexton and starting over with a rookie (like Green) is you get all the growing pains again ... and the return on investment for Sexton does not equal his value IMO ... I suggest keeping both and just adding to the group ... I really think the Cavs with a little bit of luck and health could make a big jump ... just not ready to start over by handing the keys over to another rookie.
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Agree, unless a team blows away the Cavs with an offer for Sexton I would keep him. And I really don’t get the idea that Jarrett Allen is some sort of franchise cornerstone player who is worthy of a max deal and whom the team will be built around. Draft Green or Mobley and see what they can add to the team before dismantling it.
 
Jarrett Allen is a lot better than Tristan Thompson and fills a role you absolutely have to have on a legitimate playoff team. Compared to Thompson, he has 2-3 inches on him in height and 5-6 inches on him in length. He's a much better rim protector, rebounder, finisher and free throw shooter than him. As a RFA he's going to get a deal that will average close to $25 million a year. If the Cavs don't jump first, they will have to choose to match a deal offered by another team that will likely be four years and somewhere between $90-$100 million.

Collin Sexton is also getting paid one way or another. He's a very good scoring talent, but the issues the Cavs run into is he is very ball dominant, doesn't do much of anything else besides score, and paired with Garland who will also be extension eligible in the near future forms a tiny backcourt of 6'1 guys. This summer Sexton is eligible for an extension that averages over $33 million for five years. There's going to be some friction IMO if the team tries to play through the year and wait for him to hit RFA next summer to take action.

These guys are young, but the level of performance was no where near good enough last year to extend all of them at what will be the market rate. They're going to run into cap flexibility problems quickly even with Kevin Love coming off the books in two years.
 
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nwwarrior09 said:
Jarrett Allen is a lot better than Tristan Thompson and fills a role you absolutely have to have on a legitimate playoff team. Compared to Thompson, he has 2-3 inches on him in height and 5-6 inches on him in length. He's a much better rim protector, rebounder, finisher and free throw shooter than him. As a RFA he's going to get a deal that will average close to $25 million a year. If the Cavs don't jump first, they will have to choose to match a deal offered by another team that will likely be four years and somewhere between $90-$100 million.

Collin Sexton is also getting paid one way or another. He's a very good scoring talent, but the issues the Cavs run into is he is very ball dominant, doesn't do much of anything else besides score, and paired with Garland who will also be extension eligible in the near future forms a tiny backcourt of 6'1 guys. This summer Sexton is eligible for an extension that averages over $33 million for five years. There's going to be some friction IMO if the team tries to play through the year and wait for him to hit RFA next summer to take action.

These guys are young, but the level of performance was no where near good enough last year to extend all of them at what will be the market rate. They're going to run into cap flexibility problems quickly even with Kevin Love coming off the books in two years.
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I respect your opinion because you have had many good ones, but I just disagree that a player who does not generate any offense himself is worth $25 million a year ... he is a really good player that any good team wants ... and I don’t want to see go ... but $25 million a year? ... Maybe 15 to 20 .... he gives a team much what Clint Capela gives ATL ... and he makes around $16 million ... I see his value more like $80 to $90 million for FIVE years ... if someone offers $100 for 4 ... I say get the best sign and trade you can ... not worth $25 million a year ... and Sexton does not have to be signed this year ... give him a contract offer of $100 to $110 million for four years ... if he says no ... let him play out his current contract ... and look for a sign and trade next year for him.
 
I'm not much of a NBA guy so not sure about the cap rules and all but I did hear a mention that Orlando wants to move into the top 3 to make sure it gets one of the premier scorers, Green or Suggs, and they have zeroed in on CLE as a partner. They would give CLE 5 & 8 plus take on Love's salary for #3. Is this even doable let alone make sense for the Cavs?
 
Auggie said:
I'm not much of a NBA guy so not sure about the cap rules and all but I did hear a mention that Orlando wants to move into the top 3 to make sure it gets one of the premier scorers, Green or Suggs, and they have zeroed in on CLE as a partner. They would give CLE 5 & 8 plus take on Love's salary for #3. Is this even doable let alone make sense for the Cavs?
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I’d be curious to see who they’d included. I’m pretty sure they’re at the luxury tax and have to send out near equal to Love’s incoming salary, just over $31m. It’s seems almost guaranteed they’ll have to include Gary Harris to get there. Do the Cavs want him for $19m/year for the next 2 years?
 
Depends on who's included. Surface level they still get one of the high-end players in the draft at #5 and offloading Love theoretically gives them either better salary flexibility or makes them much more competitive. Maybe both.
 
joesports said:
I respect your opinion because you have had many good ones, but I just disagree that a player who does not generate any offense himself is worth $25 million a year ... he is a really good player that any good team wants ... and I don’t want to see go ... but $25 million a year? ... Maybe 15 to 20 .... he gives a team much what Clint Capela gives ATL ... and he makes around $16 million ... I see his value more like $80 to $90 million for FIVE years ... if someone offers $100 for 4 ... I say get the best sign and trade you can ... not worth $25 million a year ... and Sexton does not have to be signed this year ... give him a contract offer of $100 to $110 million for four years ... if he says no ... let him play out his current contract ... and look for a sign and trade next year for him.
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We shall see what happens. Unfortunately I think around $20 million a year will be the floor for Allen. Very high efficiency player and is very good at most of the non-scoring things that actually have value in the modern NBA.

I would prefer they roll through the year before determining what to do with Sexton. If somehow he fits decently with whoever is drafted (Green?) it may be worth it to bite the bullet on that contract next off-season. I'd like to see him improve some other areas of his game, but scoring ultimately trumps everything. If the draft pick looks like a hit, they could have two 20+ point per game scorers for the longhaul. Tough to blow that up unless the fit is awful and it makes it near impossible to fill out the roster competitively.
 
Orin Swift said:
I’d be curious to see who they’d included. I’m pretty sure they’re at the luxury tax and have to send out near equal to Love’s incoming salary, just over $31m. It’s seems almost guaranteed they’ll have to include Gary Harris to get there. Do the Cavs want him for $19m/year for the next 2 years?
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Like I said I have no clue on the cap rules soooo if Love cannot go would the Cavs do #3 for 5 & 8 and maybe a protected #1 in the future? The thinking being from one of the big 5 is still there then they take a flyer on a project at a need spot with #8? By the way the chatter on this is coming out of Orlando, maybe wishful thinking for them?

To me the NBA lottery is all about best player available and then figuring it out once you get the dude on the court.
 
On paper Orlando can absorb around $11 million on paper at the moment. That plus Gary Harris roughly equals Kevin Love's salary.

I think you can get a good player at #8 in this draft. The Mitchell kid from Baylor I could see being one of the best rookies and a possible ROY contender. There are a couple others I could see being pretty good pieces down the road.

Ultimately, it comes down to getting the best piece available. From a potential standpoint, Jalen Green is too good to pass up IMO. His ceiling is probably more valuable than anything the Cavs could get from this theoretical deal.
 
nwwarrior09 said:
On paper Orlando can absorb around $11 million on paper at the moment. That plus Gary Harris roughly equals Kevin Love's salary.

I think you can get a good player at #8 in this draft. The Mitchell kid from Baylor I could see being one of the best rookies and a possible ROY contender. There are a couple others I could see being pretty good pieces down the road.

Ultimately, it comes down to getting the best piece available. From a potential standpoint, Jalen Green is too good to pass up IMO. His ceiling is probably more valuable than anything the Cavs could get from this theoretical deal.
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While I agree with your main premise ... draft Green ... I do find this trade interesting ... because I think Scottie Barnes just might end up the steal of this draft ... get him with the 5th pick and take Corey Kispert with the 8th pick (gives them a Joe Harris like 3 point shooter ... something the Cavs need badly) ... could be a real eye opener. ... but when all is said and done go with the more sure thing in Green is the way to go.
 
arizonawildcat said:
Reggie Jackson is a free agent. His play in the playoffs has been outstanding.
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Pretty sure he was on a minimum or near minimum deal this year. He's going to get paid a ton for the next 2-3 years. He's probably priced himself out of the Clippers being able to retain him.
 
joesports said:
While I agree with your main premise ... draft Green ... I do find this trade interesting ... because I think Scottie Barnes just might end up the steal of this draft ... get him with the 5th pick and take Corey Kispert with the 8th pick (gives them a Joe Harris like 3 point shooter ... something the Cavs need badly) ... could be a real eye opener. ... but when all is said and done go with the more sure thing in Green is the way to go.
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Have seen a few different sources that have Barnes up to 6th on their draft boards. Seems to have rising stock.

Good point about perimeter shooting. After you get by those top 5-6 players I think there are multiple quality 3 point shooters that would be reasonable picks at #8. Kispert is a phenomenal shooter.
 
Draft Green or Mobley and start stacking talent. Depending on which one is drafted, dangle Sexton or Allen for a possible trade. If you don’t get a suitable offer, play out the season with Garland, Sexton, Okoro, Allen and Green/Mobley on the roster and see how it goes.
 
Some rumbling that I'd believe to be credible about Miami being very interested in trying to make a Sexton trade, including taking on Kevin Love's deal.

What I'm seeing I don't think would be good enough to bite on, but I could see how it could appeal to some as the salary cap situation would flip immediately getting multiple rookie scale contracts with years of control left (Herro and Achiuwa) and Iguodala as a one year expiring asset. If there was a future 1st rounder involved from Miami to go along with the multiple 2nd rounders it sounds like they'd want from Cleveland, I think it's arguably a balanced trade.
 
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I’m reading more and more about Houston taking Green … so does that mean the Cavs just take Mobley … or could it be Suggs?

I have to admit I have not seen much of Mobley … watched highlights that’s all … but everyone looks great on them … I have seen a lot of Suggs … he has star written all over him … opinions?
 
joesports said:
I’m reading more and more about Houston taking Green … so does that mean the Cavs just take Mobley … or could it be Suggs?

I have to admit I have not seen much of Mobley … watched highlights that’s all … but everyone looks great on them … I have seen a lot of Suggs … he has star written all over him … opinions?
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I wouldn't be all that surprised if that does happen. After Cunningham I think the next three could go in just about any order, and including Cunningham Green probably has the highest ceiling as a scorer if he fulfills his potential. Due to scoring potential Green is the only player I could fathom Detroit selecting instead of Cunningham.

I prefer Mobley, although I do think Suggs will be very good and a near sure thing to be a star player. Both have very high ceilings on both ends of the floor. The difference IMO is the big guy is the tougher piece to find, and Mobley probably has more potential than any 4/5 prospect since Anthony Davis. He has that type of potential defensively between rim protection, rebounding and pick and roll defensive versatility while having the skill foundations of being a Gasol type player offensively that can space the floor and be played through. Paired with Allen those two make the defensive limitations of the Cavs current guards a lot less concerning. That's a potentially elite defensive interior.
 
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nwwarrior09 said:
I wouldn't be all that surprised if that does happen. After Cunningham I think the next three could go in just about any order, and including Cunningham Green probably has the highest ceiling as a scorer if he fulfills his potential. Due to scoring potential Green is the only player I could fathom Detroit selecting instead of Cunningham.

I prefer Mobley, although I do think Suggs will be very good and a near sure thing to be a star player. Both have very high ceilings on both ends of the floor. The difference IMO is the big guy is the tougher piece to find, and Mobley probably has more potential than any 4/5 prospect since Anthony Davis.
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Drafting Mobley probably makes keeping Sexton more likely, but not a certainty. I would like to see them take Green or Mobley and keep the core together for a season before dealing away any of them.
 
IMO Mobley will be a top 5-10 player and MVP candidate down the road if he can add 20-30 pounds and be a little more aggressive with better consistency. At times he does have that kind of laid back if not soft demeanor of a Gasol or Bosh.

Suggs is a killer. The one concern I have with him is he's not the best perimeter shooter at this point, and adding him to the mix now I'd be immediately trying to move one of Sexton and Garland for a frontcourt piece. Way too much overlap between those three.
 
cjb56 said:
Drafting Mobley probably makes keeping Sexton more likely, but not a certainty. I would like to see them take Green or Mobley and keep the core together for a season before dealing away any of them.
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However this shakes out, I think any of the three most likely players at this spot in the draft have franchise changing potential. Regardless of who the pick is, I'd prefer to see the core guys kept together until at least the trade deadline.

Sexton is an enigma at this point. I don't really want to see him go, but without some growth in his game I don't think he'll be worth the extension he'll command nor will he yield something looking like equal value to what he gives the Cavs in a trade. I think at this point it sounds like many see him as more of a 6th man type if he were actually on a good team with his ball dominant/high volume style.
 
Given the choice between the three, Green would be my guy. Scoring is the most important aspect of the game now, by far, and it's why I wouldn't be surprised if he's gone by #3.

I look at Green and I can't get off that Lavine comparison. Playing against guys in their mid-20s and washed up vets in the G-League Green averaged 18 PPG on 53/37/83 shooting splits. Lavine is a total freak between his athleticism and scoring skills, and has gone under the radar on bad teams that have been constantly in flux. This year he became just the 6th player ever to average over 25 PPG on 50/40/85 splits with 60% true shooting. The others are Durant, Bird, Leonard, Curry and Irving, and Lavine hitting those marks IMO was all the more impressive given how bad the Bulls roster was before acquiring Vucevic. On a team full of rotation/bench quality players nobody could stop him. Green could be that type of transcendent scoring talent.
 
Haven’t been able to keep up with the NBA and the Cavs nearly as much as I’d like these past couple years so the informative posts are much appreciated, nw.
 
Supposedly there is now talk that the Rockets are 50/50 on either Mobley or Green, Cavs may not be able to zero in on just one player and work trades that fit with who they expect at 3. Also Kuminga is dropping and Barnes is rising, what was originally a top tier of 5 has reduced to a top 4 so Orlando at 5 is a key point in the draft and why they are trying everything to move up.
 
You have to have big-time perimeter oriented scorers. Green is the youngest of those top-4 guys and produced at a pretty high level with good efficiency against grown men while skipping college.

I lean towards thinking Houston will take Green. Cleveland shouldn't be trying to swing any major deals unless they seriously want to move up, which has been rumored some with alleged inquiries about the #1 pick. If they end up with either Mobley or Green IMO they need to play at least most of the year with them alongside their other young guys before making any major roster decisions.
 
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