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The Cleveland Cavaliers were fortunate to have landed the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft after last Tuesday’s draft lottery.
The Cavs could have received the fifth selection if the order of picks had followed the reverse order of the lottery teams’ records, and after they lost a coin flip to the OKC Thunder (tied Cleveland at 22-50) to determine the fourth and fifth spots.
But the ping pong balls bounced the Cleveland Cavaliers’ way and they acquired the third pick in the upcoming draft which will be held on July 29. Their lottery pick will be their 22nd in franchise history but this will be their first opportunity to select No. 3 overall.
What can the Cleveland Cavaliers do with their pick?
There are three options for the Cleveland Cavaliers regarding what they can do with the third pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
First, they can keep the pick and select the best player available or the best fit for their ballclub. Second, they could use the pick to trade down and get two lower draft picks plus considerations, and select players who could fill out their roster.
Third, they could trade the pick for veteran help, an All-Star, preferably. Moreover, they could package the pick with Kevin Love’s massive $31.3 million salary for next season as filler that could net them an All-Star or All-Star caliber player.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers are among a handful of teams who are contemplating turning their pick/s into a veteran/All-Star who could help in accelerating their rebuild. This will be the fourth straight year that the Cavs are in the lottery.
They already have three young and dynamic players in Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro, along with restricted free agent center Jarrett Allen.
Love has likely worn out his welcome with the Cleveland Cavaliers after several stints on the injury list the past few years and a few questionable incidents on the court. A fresh start for both parties would be most welcome next season.
No doubt Cavs general manager Koby Altman will be exploring trade options ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Who should the Cleveland Cavaliers select with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft?
If the Cleveland Cavaliers decide to keep the pick, they will not have a shortage of talented players available at No. 3. However, depending on what the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets do with the No. 1 and 2 picks, respectively, Altman is likely interested in selecting 6-foot-6 swingman Jalen Green.
Despite having a starting backcourt composed of the talented Sexton and Garland, the Cleveland Cavaliers may decide to unload one of them if they believe that Green would be a better fit for them.
Green is a proven scorer who skipped college to play on G League Ignite last season. He has the ability to score from anywhere on the court and shot 37 percent from 3-point range. In 15 games, he averaged 18.7 points per outing in the G League bubble where his quickness and athleticism made him a standout.
If Green isn’t available, the Cleveland Cavaliers could select one of the best players available, either big man Evan Mobley from USC, or 6-foot-4 guard Jalen Suggs from Gonzaga. However, they might select either of the two for another team in a draft-day or post-draft day trade.
Mobley, at seven feet, is NBA-ready with defense as his calling card early before he starts to develop his offensive skills. The fact that he plays the same position as Allen will likely prompt the Cleveland Cavaliers to ship him off elsewhere. Nevertheless, because of Mobley's huge upside, they could experiment with a twin towers combo early in the season before giving up on the youngster.
Suggs, meanwhile, is a solid playmaker and all-around guard who can quarterback a team at the NBA level. He is able to dissect a team’s defense at an elite level and create a shot for himself or his teammates.
The No. 3 pick is quite a valuable asset in the 2021 NBA Draft and the Cleveland Cavaliers would be wise to consider all their options before deciding on what to do with it. The draft isn’t rocket science, but with proper planning and preparation, the Cavs could be sitting on a gold mine with the wealth of options available to them.
