2019 NBA Mock Draft: Cleveland Cavaliers gamble on traits with 26th pick
By Mike Graham
With two picks in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the opportunity to take a big step in their current rebuild.
With the lottery spin a few weeks away, it’s time to jump into the NBA Draft scene with my first mock.
With the NBA Draft dominated by mostly one-and-done players, remember that general managers have to weigh talents and traits, especially when you move deeper into the first round and the chances of finding superstar impact player decrease dramitcally.
The 2019 NBA Draft promises to be top heavy. There may be some potential starters after to be found after Zion Williamson goes off the board, other wise look for teams to mine for role players or trait gambles later in the first round.
Cleveland enters this draft with the the second-worst record in the NBA, but because the NBA changed how the lottery operates, they have the same chances (14 percent) of landing the first overall pick as the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks.
Additionally, Cleveland only has a 52 percent chance of picking in the top four.
No need to downplay things, but this draft is huge for the Cleveland Cavaliers and their rebuilding project. At the onset of the season, the franchise probably wasn’t expecting to own the league’s second-worst record. However, things quickly changed once Kevin Love went down with injury during the fourth game of the season.
Ty Lue was later fired and the Cavs went from the Penthouse in the days of LeBron James, back to the outhouse.
Once Love returned, the Cavs did player better, which makes you wonder how good they’d be if the key players stayed healthy.
We don’t get to find out the actual lottery order until May 14, so until then, and to keep true to the randomness of the affair, this draft order will be determined by the lottery machine at Tankathon. So without further ado, here are the results.