Re-drafting the Cleveland Cavaliers rookies from 2000-2003 (Pre-LeBron Era)

Join us as the re-drafting of the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Draft pick begins, starting with 2000-2003.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been notoriously bad at drafting throughout the last 20 years. The moves they make are often times hard to fathom. It’s not due to a lack of options, but a lack of execution. Heck, even when they “hit” they can often do better anyway. Since 2000, the Cavs have only drafted one true franchise-changing star; LeBron James. What would their history look like with a few choice decisions thanks to a re-drafting?

Better, much better actually.

The Cavs have bungled so many other opportunities to get talent. Made worse by the rare times they do land someone worth having, they immediately turn them around in a trade with someone less impressive. Bad trades overall plague this team. My favorite is also the time they traded a draft pick for 2005 away in 1997, but we’ll get to that one later.

So here’s how we’re doing this. Each draft class from the year 2000 and on will be re-evaluated across a series of articles. The Cavaliers draft picks will all be re-analyzed and re-selected as needed. In some cases, the Cavs got the best player they could, in others they didn’t. Players who came to the Cavs through draft day trades won’t be considered. If the team didn’t have that draft pick originally, it won’t be included.

For instance, the Cavs in 2019 walked away with three first-round players, but only had two draft picks; Darius Garland and Dylan Windler. The Cavs acquired fellow rookie Kevin Porter Jr in a trade. So when we get to 2019, the team will only have two picks in the first round.

The picks and strategy will not go from one re-draft class to the next, instead, each draft class will be treated independently of the others. No player taken in the re-draft of the 2000 draft will have any baring come 2003 for example. All considerations for who goes in what draft will be based on the real prior year the team had.

Only players who are still on the board when the Cavs pick can be selected. There’s going to be no pretending they can get the best guy in every draft. Also not every second round pick will be re-drafted, due to how common second-round picks flame out.

So let’s look at who the Cavs should’ve taken in every class over the last 20 years, starting with 2000-2003 today.