Cavs rumors: Windhorst says Cavs really wanted to draft Patrick Williams

In Cavs rumors, Brian Windhorst said the Cavs really wanted to draft Patrick Williams.

The NBA draft came and went, and despite Cavs rumors centering around the team picking Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija, the organization selected defensive minded small forward Isaac Okoro, despite the other two aforementioned players being available.

Okoro will certainly impact the Cavaliers in his first season and he fits the mold of the type of player the franchise is trying to develop, but it appears he wasn’t the player the Cavs were hoping would be available.

Apparently, the Cavs really wanted to draft Patrick Williams, who went to the Bulls at No. 4, one spot before Cleveland’s pick, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, via Thelandondemand.com (1:57, subscription required).

Windy said the Florida State product really rose up boards in the 10-15 days leading up to the draft and that the Cavs were hoping to “lurk and snatch him.”

You can see why Williams would’ve been coveted. He got high marks for his defense, plus, he unlike Okoro, he’s being viewed as someone who can be a double-digit scorer in his first season.

The 6-foot-8 forward still needs plenty of polishing, as he shot just 32 percent from 3-point range, but he’s viewed as a player who can do anything on the court that he pleases.

Windhorst is a credible as it gets, but the fact that Williams’ defense was highly thought of coming out of college leads you to believe the Cavs were really interested.

Cleveland was terrible defensively last season and they’ll still be bad with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland starting in the backcourt. That said, said, they went with Okoro, because he’s at least an upgrade in the starting lineup over Cedi Osman.

Williams’ offensive potential certainly makes him the more intriguing prospect, but in terms of fit, Okoro doesn’t need to be a top scorer on a roster that includes Garland, Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr. and Kevin Love.

We’ll see how it plays out, but if the Cavs wanted him badly enough, they probably couldn’t swung a trade to get in front of Chicago.