Hitting on their two 2025 second-round picks could be crucial for the future of the Cavs
By Ian Levy
After a disappointing exit from last year's playoffs, many expected the Cavaliers to blow it up last season. But they zagged, hard, keeping both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, re-signing Jarrett Allen and counting on a new head coach — Kenny Atkinson — health and continuity to make the difference.
Their gamble has paid off in an incredible way.
They're currently on a 66-win pace and leading the East over the defending champion Boston Celtics by more than five games. With the trade for De'Andre Hunter, they may have the best five-man unit in the NBA and their championship window is wide open. However, this roster is going to get expensive in a hurry and keeping that window open means leveraging every advantage at their disposal. According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, that makes hitting on their second-round picks especially important:
"The handful of second-round picks they still possess over the next few years, the low first-round picks they still have in 2026 and 2028 and the continued development of someone such as Tyson will determine the sustainability of this run beyond the next three years. The Cavs have proved capable of finding talent on the margins — Jerome, Wade, Merrill, etc. — and that will become paramount."
Who could the Cavaliers take with their two second-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft?
The Cavs have a pair of second-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft but they're extremely low — the Bucks' at No. 49 and their own at No. 58. It's possible they try to package those together to move up a bit but even if they keep both there are some reasonable swings they could take in that range.
Duke guard Tyrese Proctor is ranked No. 50 on Chris Kline's latest NBA Big Board and could be appealing to Cleveland. He's not an elite scorer or playmaker but he has great size (6-foot-5) for someone who play both guard positions, he's a good defender and he's come a long way as a 3-point shooter, making 40.0 percent of 5.8 attempts per game this season. His experience and versatility at both ends could be very appealing.
Xavian Lee, a point guard from Princeton ranking No. 46 on the same Big Board has a similar package of attributes as Proctor — size, experience and versatility. He's not as good a shooter and plays against a lower level of competition but he's a more polished playmaker and passer.
Tucker DeVries is another possibility, ranked No. 54 on the Big Board. A wing with good size, he's a fantastic shooter who could slide in the draft after suffering a season-ending injury after just eight games in his senior season.
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