Predicting who will be available at 39 on draft night is challenging, especially with this year’s class where one team could have a player with a second-round grade and another team could view the same guy as worthy of lottery consideration. The available names could determine how the Cavs approach the use-it-or-trade-it conundrum.
- Braun -- who helped Kansas win a national championship, reaffirmed his draft commitment and worked out in front of Cavs executives -- is a realistic target. A 6-foot-7 wing who can guard multiple positions, Braun is at his best finishing around the basket or in transition. His jumper is a swing skill.
- Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley, a 6-5 guard, didn’t test well athletically at the combine, leading to questions about whether he could slide.
- Jean Montero -- a 6-3 point guard from Overtime Elite -- is known for his playmaking and shot creation, skills the Cavs certainly need.
- Because of his advanced understanding of pace and three-level scoring ability, Toledo’s Ryan Rollins would get a long look at 39. Sources say general manager Mike Gansey watched the 6-4 Rollins during a scouting combine pro day last week.
- Wake Forest stretch-forward Jake LaRavia’s stock seems to be all over the board, and he backed out of the scrimmage portion of the combine.
- It suddenly seems unlikely that either NC State guard Terquavion Smith or Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens will make it to 39, but the Cavs are fans of both.
- Gonzaga floor general Andrew Nembhard has the college seasoning (22 years old) to possibly step into an immediate backup point guard role as a rookie.
- Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff likes size and length, making Arizona’s defensive-minded jumbo guard Dalen Terry (6-foot-7 with a near 7-foot-1 wingspan) a logical target -- even though questions persist about his outside shot after making 42 3-pointers in 63 games.
Peyton Watson, one of the top recruits coming out of high school in 2021, and Michael Foster Jr., the fourth member of G League Ignite, are others to monitor.
