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

2003

1st Round

Drafted: LeBron James
Re-Drafted: LeBron James

2nd Round

Drafted: Jason Kapono
Re-Drafted: Kyle Korver

Picking LeBron James in 2003 was a no brainer, even if you weren’t a fan of his. He brought a huge economic boom to downtown Cleveland and became a player beloved for years by the city and fanbase. So obviously we wouldn’t re-draft him.

If we did, the pick would be Dwyane Wade, as he was able to drag a Miami Heat team to the playoffs with little help, all on his own. It would take James time to develop into that type of player. Wade however was ready from the jump and it showed. That said, we’re still sticking with James for the obvious reasons.

As for the second-round pick, that’s a different story.

In 2020, Jason Kapono is an All-Star. In 2003 he barely saw minutes as teams didn’t value the three-point shot as much. Maybe if Kapono wasn’t taken by the Bobcats in the 2004 Expansion Draft, the Cavs would’ve been able to develop him further. He could’ve become a great second option maybe, ala a Peja Stojakovic. He didn’t though, so here we are.

Kapono may have had a decent career, but not as good as Kyle Korver’s.

Both men were basically the same type of players; shooters, but Korver was historically good at shooting three-point shots. At 38 (the same age as Kapono), Korver is still shooting well for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020. Korver has near 10 points a game throughout his career and is shooting 46% from the three-point line. We saw what Korver and James could do in limited minutes when both men were up there in age, but imagine what they could’ve done together as rookies?

Korver went to the 76ers, where he had to contend with Allen Iverson and Iverson’s desire to get buckets. If Korver ended up in Cleveland, perhaps James would’ve been a better compliment to Korver early in their careers, producing even better numbers for the three-point legend.