The Cavaliers were well represented at Darius Garland‘s private workout Friday night in Los Angeles, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland officials had been hoping for a close-up look at the Vanderbilt point guard, whose Klutch Sports representatives limited his availability early in the pre-draft process.
There’s no guarantee Garland will still be on the board when the Cavs pick at No. 5, as the Pelicans now hold the fourth pick and are reportedly receiving strong interest from teams looking to move up. There are questions surrounding Garland’s durability after he played just four games in college before suffering a meniscus injury, but many teams view him as a potential All-Star because of his exceptional shooting and ball-handling, along with the ability to take charge of an offense.
The No. 4 pick may be more unpredictable now that the Lakers are sending it to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, Fedor adds. The Suns and Bulls might trade up for Garland if they believe he’s significantly better than Coby White, while the Hawks, who own the eighth and 10th picks, may decide to move up for Jarrett Culver.
The Cavs wouldn’t be afraid to team Garland with last year’s No. 1 pick, Collin Sexton, even though that would be an undersized backcourt with a pair of 6’2″ guards. Fedor notes that the organization is early enough in the rebuilding process that draft decisions will be based more on talent than fit.
There’s more from Cleveland, all courtesy of Fedor:
- Cleveland also likes Culver, but Fedor believes the chance to get him decreases if the Pelicans keep their pick. If another team trades up for Garland, then Culver becomes a strong possibility at No. 5. He had a private workout and dinner with several Cavaliers representatives last week, and the team has scouted him several times. New coach John Beilein faced Culver in the NCAA Tournament, where he scored 22 points in Texas Tech’s win over Michigan.
- Even though the Cavaliers were hoping for a top three pick, they’re confident they can add a contributor at No. 5. De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish are on their radar as well as Garland and Culver.
- The Cavaliers have less than two weeks to work out a trade involving J.R. Smith before his $15.6MM contract becomes guaranteed for next season. It carries just a $3.8MM guarantee until then and could be an enticing trade chip for a team looking to unload salary. Fedor sees the Heat as a prime contender for Smith, but lists the Hornets, Bucks, Thunder and Trail Blazers as other teams that could use some cap relief.
#36 overall pick, Batum, Frank Kaminsky’s rights for JR
I don’t think the money is close to working out, and even if it was the Cavs would probably want more than 36 and Kaminsky (who doesn’t have any value and I believe is a free agent anyway) to take up Batum for the next two years.
Something more realistic is probably JR for Marvin Williams and two second rounders. Maybe Williams and Monk instead of the picks, but I’m not a Hornets fan so I don’t know if they’re still committed to him or not.
You must be new to this site. Welcome. You will probably be informed shortly that Malik Monk is a future HOF’er
I’m not lmao but you’re probably right, I know their fans are still seemingly high on him and I’d have to imagine the front office disagrees but I didn’t wanna be that hack that suggests some terrible trade either
honestly thinking about it .. if i was the ROX i would take Batum and #36 for CP3 chins who i believe is a MJ guy.
Trading away Paul for Batum saves money but it doesn’t make them better. Why do people forget that the only team the Rockets have lost to have been the GSW who will be without Durant and Klay for most of the year. They may also be without Iggy, Livingston, Looney and Cousins too.
Paul’s contract will be tough to move and he better consider where his best chance to compete is. He can’t go to the Lakers because who do they have to match up salaries?
I hope Kobe Altman can get real creative here. They can get Reddish/White/Garland/Culver/Hunter at #5 and they would all make sense. The Suns, Bulls and I would think, the Wizards, are all teams said to be interested in a PG and they all pick behind the Cavs. I think Reddish is the guy they should go after and it’s likely he’ll be on the board when the Cavs pick. They could take Garland or White and work out a trade for whichever team doesn’t select the other PG and trade the pick for the chance to draft Reddish and extract another asset from the trade. Kind of like the trade the Hawks and Mavs did to get Doncic.
TBH I do not see a top player I would like the Cavs to avoid until they get to Bol Bol or Bruno Fernandez and they are likely late lottery at best. I’ve been favoring Culver but whatever.
Picking Garland would be an interesting dynamic as Sexton is the boss’s fav and he is recovering from a stroke. Neither has 2G size. Garland has a 6-5 wingspan but is skinny. He is an ideal prospect to run an offense and Sexton is ideal for aggressive bench points. There was some talk of Sexton being 6th man at season’s end. HR reports that Altman’s plans have been pre-approved.
Cavs must move the thug…jr smith…can’t imagine new coach lets him come to the gym.
Simply take whom they determine is best. However, IMHO, the Cavs could. O e down a few spots and pick up an extra pick or mya e two second round picks. They’d still have a good chance at getting one of those players they like.
Oh. I also feel, no proof to this at all, just a feeling, that the middle of this draft may one of those that produce outstanding players.