Ahead of the NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly received significant trade interest from teams for their third overall pick, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
The report stated that the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, current owners of the fourth and fifth picks, have made offers for the Cavaliers’ third pick. However, despite the offers, Cleveland may end up staying put and making a selection instead.
The Cavaliers have been heavily linked to USC center Evan Mobley. He is projected to be the third player off the board, behind Jalen Green and Cade Cunningham. He is projected to have perhaps the highest upside of any player and the Cavaliers may feel like they cannot pass on him.
League sources say the Cavaliers have received significant trade interest for this selection, and the Raptors and Magic—the next two teams up to pick—have made offers to move up. But Cleveland might just stay put.
While the Raptors and Magic would like to trade up, they may not have a package attractive enough to convince the Cavaliers to pass on a talent like Mobley. Orlando may be able to entice Cleveland more with the fifth and eighth picks but it is not known what has been offered to this point.
Of course, trades are typically consummated on draft night as the urgency surrounding prospects builds for front offices. While a trade hasn’t yet been executed, it will be worth watching what happens next Thursday once the draft tips off.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[lawrence-related id=35285,35306,35127]
[mm-video type=video id=01fb5ex6d995jxe1ww9c playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fb5ex6d995jxe1ww9c/01fb5ex6d995jxe1ww9c-a184fb39633be665fd215a4aa2a6b328.jpg]
[listicle id=35235]