Despite having their sights set on overturning an 0-2 deficit against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still keeping a close eye on the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft.
It appears that after interviewing at least 20 potential draftees, the Cavs seem content on keeping their hands on the eighth overall pick they recently secured in the NBA Draft Lottery. Speaking to Joe Vardon of cleveland.com a team source confirmed that the Cavs have deemed the pick as a valuable commodity.
“You’ll hear this from a lot of teams, but after watching and talking and interviewing the players, we feel very excited about the draft,” said the anonymous source. “We feel our pick has even more value, and we were happy with it before.”
According to Vardon, the team’s representatives — which included GM Koby Altman — met with 7-footer Mo Bamba, 19-year-old point guard Trae Young, and two-time NCAA Champion Mikal Bridges, to name a few. Michael Porter Jr. of Missouri, as well as Duke’s Wendell Carter, were two other names that were reportedly part of the Cavaliers’ long list of interviewees.
A lot of the shortcomings of the Cavaliers in the personnel department have been exposed this season, and even more so in the Playoffs. Having a lottery pick in June will definitely go a long way as the team looks to fortify its roster for the next season and perhaps for years to come.
Then again, everything will change if rumors of LeBron James wanting out yet again suddenly become a stark reality.
