Debby Wong-USA Today Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in need of a scoring small forward. This is obvious and the team has made it clear that they are in the market for someone who can fit that bill to perfection.
The Cavaliers have built themselves a solid core, especially with the youthful back court of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, but there’s plenty of work to do. This year’s draft and off-season could be a major step forward, as Cleveland currently holds four selections, including the No. 1 and No. 19 overall picks.
Now, the Cavaliers have remained mum and virtually undecided on what they will do with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night, but the options are aplenty. Cleveland could keep the pick and bolster their front line with either Nerlens Noel or Alex Len, but they also have not ruled out both Ben McLemore or Otto Porter.
With that being said, they also haven’t ruled out trading the selection.
One rumor that emerged over the weekend however, came from CSN Bay Area‘s Ric Bucher, who said that the Cavaliers have expressed interest in veteran small forward Luol Deng. The Chicago Bulls appear to have a high asking price, as Cleveland virtually is attempting to acquire assets in addition to Dengif the No. 1 pick was involved.
Paul Pierce and Danny Granger are two other scoring forwards who have also been linked to Cleveland in the past. Let’s consider this though, would it be wise for the Cavaliers to move the No. 1 pick if they can get Deng in return? It very well could, especially if the Cavaliers could get a pick from Chicago, as well. The Bulls own the 20th overall pick in the first round of this year’s draft.
This is a weak draft and this price on the No. 1 overall pick is lower than year’s past, so Cleveland should treat it as such. The opportunity to get a veteran scorer and fill a need is much more valuable than the top selection here in 2013.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
