Cavs draft lottery: Brian Windhorst speculates on potential trade of Sexton

Brian Windhorst appeared on ESPN Cleveland’s Really Big Show where he dove into the Cavs luck in the 2021 draft lottery, coming away with the third overall pick.

Notably, Windhorst noted how the Cavs lost the coin flip about a month back to the Thunder, via The Land on Demand. It looked dreadful at the time because the defeat made it look like Cleveland would be picking out of the top five.

The lottery balls came up in Cleveland’s favor, though. Had the Cavs won the toss–factoring in the way the lotto balls popped up, Cleveland would’ve been picking sixth–which is where OKC is right now.

Windhorst never pretends to be a prospect expert, but learned heavily on ESPN’s draft gurus, who believe Cade Caunningham and G-Leaguer Jalen Green will be the first two picks in the draft.

If the draft plays out this way, Windhorst forecasts a big decision the Cavs’ front office will have to make between Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs  and USC big man Evan Mobley.

Windy is enamored with Suggs, who was the star of the NCAA Tournament. He believes it would be a “big score” if the Cavs came away from the draft with Suggs. Windhorst said he loves Suggs’ makeup, and has heard scouts comparing him to former multi-time All-Star Jason Kidd.

Obviously, if the Cavs take Suggs, there’s going to be too many cooks in the point guard kitchen, which will probably mean the franchise will either trade either Collin Sexton or Darius Garland.

“I couldn’t see them trading this pick, but I can see them trading players on their roster because of this pick,” Windhorst said.

The longtime basketball writer said, when asked, that he would rather deal Sexton, because in his opinion, Sexton isn’t a franchise cornerstone.

What could Cavs get for Sexton?

Windhorst said a trade of Sexton is tough, because the Alabama product is still on his rookie deal. Windy speculated that the Cavs could attach a contract, perhaps that of Taurean Prince, to get a higher-salaried player.

Suggs is a player worth getting exciting about, because I agree with Windhorest. They have good prospects in Sexton and Garland, but neither of these individuals look like a franchise pillar.

Suggs is, which means the rebuild can really start.

Keep in mind, though, the Cavs may value Mobley more than Suggs. It it is Mobley, it will be interesting to see what they do with Jarrett Allen, who is a restricted free agent.