When Was the Last Time the Cavaliers Won the NBA Draft Lottery?

Some teams have better luck than others when it comes to the NBA Draft Lottery, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of those teams. 

The Cavs have won the lottery three times with their own pick, taking LeBron James, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins with those picks. Wiggins was the latest in 2014, but he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for forward Kevin Love. 

The Cavs also won the lottery in 2011, taking guard Kyrie Irving, since they own the Los Angeles Clippers’ pick that season. Four lottery wins in less than 20 years? That’s impressive.

Here are the odds for the Cavs to jump up the board again and get the No. 1 pick in 2022: 

Cavs 2022 Draft Lottery Odds

The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly made the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, but they dropped back-to-back games in the league’s play-in tournament to finish in ninth in the Eastern Conference. 

That puts the Cavs at 14th out of 14 teams to win the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery, with a 0.5 percent chance that they receive the No. 1 pick. 

The Cavs struck gold with Evan Mobley at No. 3 in the 2021 NBA Draft, and they’ll look to do the same regardless of where they pick in 2022. Cleveland has some really quality young pieces in Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. 

Cavs NBA Draft Lottery Representative

Former Cavs big man Anderson Varejao will represent the team at the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery. 

Varejao, a team ambassador, played for the Cavs for 13 seasons in his NBA career. It’s possible Cleveland is trying to channel some of the luck from LeBron James' days with the Varejao move.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.