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Well, that was an interesting night for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Armed with a pick outside of the top four for the first time in what seems like forever, the Cavs entered the NBA Draft looking for a rookie they wouldn’t need to rely on right away. If this was indeed their plan, it appears as though the mission was accomplished.
Cleveland selected Tyus Jones from Duke with the No. 24 overall pick. For a team in need of some back court depth, it seemed like a smart selection. The Cavs’ depth at point guard was exploited badly in the Finals after Kyrie Irving was injured, so Jones made sense on multiple levels.
However, his time with Cleveland lasted shorter than it took you to read that last paragraph.
Before Jones could start dreaming about playing alongside LeBron James, the Cavs traded his rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves. So, the T’Wolves now have every Cleveland first round pick from the past three years on their roster.
In exchange, the Cavs received picks 31 and 36 from Minnesota. Rumors began surfacing regarding Cleveland packaging these picks with the contract of Brendan Haywood – a huge trade asset – in a draft day deal. Instead, the Cavs selected Turkish forward Cedi Osman and Syracuse power forward Rakeem Christmas.
Who knows if either of these players remain with Cleveland for long, as the team could still look to move them. That said, it appears the Cavs’ core focus tonight was their own salary cap.
In Osman, they have a player who, though reportedly of the mind he can come to the NBA right now, will likely stay overseas for at least the next year. As a result, while Cleveland will own his rights, he won’t count against their cap.
For the Cavs, this is huge. The team needs to focus on re-signing Kevin Love after his recent opt out. They need to bring back restricted free agents Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert. Though he has yet to opt out of his contract, J.R. Smith is also someone the team intends on retaining. Quite frankly, the Cavs just have too much to worry about when it comes to their salary cap, and by keeping Osman on ice overseas, it’s one less contract on their books.
If he ever does join Cleveland, Osman brings some notable offensive skills and aggression. Though he’s not known for his perimeter shooting, and his mechanics as a whole aren’t much to write home about, he’s seen by many as a solid passing wing who can play some strong defense.
As for Christmas, he may find himself a spot on the Cavs’ roster this year. He’s a solid defensive player, whose offensive game has developed well during his time at Syracuse. Provided Love and Thompson are both in the fold next year, Christmas may be a solid depth player who the team can develop along the way.
Regardless, it’s clear Cleveland was drafting as a team still focused on winning now. They picked a player they likely won’t have to pay this year, as well as another who can essentially be a project behind Thompson and (hopefully) Love.
Or, the Cavs could just trade the both of them. Who knows. At the moment, the team’s primary focus is cap space, and this was hardly subtle tonight.
Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook
