The four worst draft misses in Cleveland Cavaliers’ modern history.
We’re going through the four worst draft decisions the Cleveland Cavaliers have selected in the modern era. It’s a list that I thought would actually be a lot worse than it was and while there are some real duds, which we’ll get to, the Cavs have done a pretty good job over the last 30-odd years at getting good talent.
That doesn’t mean they’ve always optimized the picks, but very rarely have we seen examples of poor selections.
So what defines the modern era? We’re looking at guys who were drafted between 1989 and 2021. Why 1989? That’s the first year the NBA Draft was changed to just two-rounds. Before then the draft had multiple rounds and it was largely just a waste of everyone’s time.
So, with that said, let’s look at some guys who won’t make the cut. Firstly, there’s Chris Mihm. Partly because he had a decent career as a role player but mostly because he wasn’t drafted by the Cavs. He was acquired in a draft-day trade for the Cavs selection, Jamal Crawford. That was not a good idea.
Another one that won’t be on the list is Anthony Bennett. While he is a bad player, his selection is truly marred by the draft class just being garbage. Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo was in the draft, but he was an afterthought, a project picks that someone would need to take a rider on and hope for the best. Victor Oladipo was also in the draft but he’s far from a top-tier player, and when you realize that, while Bennett was clearly a bust, there really wasn’t an obvious guy to take over him.
That’s what this list is focusing on as well, guys the team should’ve taken instead. So in that vein, Tristan Thompson could very well qualify for the list, as Klay Thompson is clearly the better player. We also could use Jonas Valanciunas as an example of a player who was better than Tristan Thompson.
Yet we have more egregious picks below.
Picked: John Morton/Passed: Vlade Divac
The Cleveland Cavaliers used their 1989 pick on John Morton, who on his own would have been on the list or any list like it. He only lasted three years in the NBA, scoring just 4.8 points for his career. He was beaten up a lot and slowed by injuries and ineffective play.
That alone would make him a candidate for this list, but it’s made even worse when you realize that Vlade Divac was taken right after him.
Now, for Cavs fans of a certain age, they’ll remember the Cavs had Brad Daugherty at center in those days and used John “Hot Rod Williams” and Larry Nance as alternates at the five-spot when Daugherty was subbed out. So there wasn’t really a need for a second pure-center on the team.
That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have had value. He would have, absolutely. Daugherty was beginning to slow down some due to injuries, which would end his career in 1993-1994. Had the Cavs drafted and held onto Divac, played him off the bench, and had him coached up, he would’ve been able to replace Daughtery in 1994.
Instead, the Cavs wasted a pick on a guy who played just 128 games. So yeah, it could’ve been better.
Picked: Trajan Langdon/Passed: Ron Artest and Andrei Kirilenko
One of the worst picks in modern Cleveland Cavaliers history, Trajan Langdon is now ironically making decisions like that for the New Orleans Pelicans. By all accounts he’s doing a solid job, having acquired CJ McCollum to help get them into the playoffs this past season.
Yet, when the team took him, they had higher hopes than him playing in just 119 games and averaging 5.4 points per game for his career. Langdon just didn’t pan out and found success elsewhere in the world of pro basketball
Taken 11th overall, Langdon went right before both Ron Artest and Andrei Kirilenko. Both men would’ve been impressive defensive players for the Cavs and would’ve been solid offensive scorers for their era. Far more beneficial long-term than anything Langdon did.
It should also be noted that Andre Miller was taken in this draft as well, right ahead of Shawn Marion. I don’t consider this to be a bad pick, despite Marion’s NBA accolades, due to the fact that Miller was a vastly undervalued and under-rated player in the league during his tenure.
So that’s why Langdon and not Miller made the list. Miller by all accounts never should’ve been traded in the first place, considering all the Cavs got back was Darius Miles.
Picked: DeSagana Diop (2001)/ Passed: Joe Johnson
The Cleveland Cavaliers may have messed up the 2001 draft selection as bad as anyone. DeSagana Diop was taken 8th overall, and while he lasted 11 years in the leagues, he just didn’t do anything at all besides warm the bench. He averaged less than 15 minutes per game, and around two points and four rebounds for his career.
Diop just never developed and that’s the sad truth of the situation. Diop is a solid mind in the sport, as he’s a current assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, so he knows the game, he just didn’t have the skillset.
So while his career is far from a failure, the Cavs passed on him for Joe Johnson, and could you imagine Johnson with Carlos Boozer and LeBron James? Johnson is a borderline Hall of Famer, who will likely never make it but has had a very impressive career.
His best years were in Phoenix and Atlanta and was one of Steve Nash’s best options in Phoenix and then being moved to Atlanta where he became the go-to scorer for the Hawks. Johnson’s career far surpassed that of Diop’s.
The saddest part is that Diop was the third center the Cavs had acquired around this time, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Chris Mihm being other first-round picks on the team. Johnson was clearly a need but wasn’t given a shot.
Picked: Dajuan Wagner/ Passed: A’Mare Stoudamire and Caron Butler
Lastly, Dajuan Wagner. Now Wagner started off solid. Not good or anything to write home about, but in the far more defensive-minded 2000s, shooting just under 40% from the field wasn’t the death nail it was today. He was by no means the best option available, but he didn’t start off in the trash can like so many others did. Though he did get thrown out eventually all the same.
After the injuries mounted and slowed him down, Wagner was let go and he ended up finishing his career in Golden State with the Warriors.
As the 6th pick in the draft, you would hope for something better than a four-year career across two teams but that’s what you got from Wagner. On the flip side, just a few spots later were Amar’e Stoudamire and Caron Butler.
Both men were hugely successful, with Butler helping Dwayne Wade to the playoffs in Wade’s first year in Miami and then going on to becoming one of Washington’s key pieces during their mid-to-late 00s run.
Then of course you had Stoudamire, who had a huge run with the Phoenix Suns during the Steve Nash era of the franchise and was one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league at the time.