Orlando Magic 2021 NBA Draft Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers should be the trade-up target

Cleveland is further along the rebuild path

Whether a team that has not made the playoffs in three years will want to trade down from the third spot in a draft with this level of talent is questionable. Orland would have to make it worth Cleveland’s while.

But the chance to grab two top-10 players might be more tempting, especially if the Houston Rockets take Evan Mobley at No. 2.

The team has put faith in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, and while it has not quite paid off yet there are signs it might. He might have deficiencies on the defensive end, but Sexton averaged 24.3 points per game last season in just his third season in the NBA. There is a good chance that could keep travelling in an upward trajectory like it has done so far.

Cleveland Cavaliers

And Garland has also shown a lot of promise. He averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game last season while shooting a very impressive 39.5-percent from three. On the defensive end, he made important strides forward too. In a couple of years, this backcourt could start contributing to winning basketball if the pieces around them are right.

If Mobley goes second, and the Cavs keep the third pick, Green or Suggs should be the selection. The Cleveland front office might be happy taking another guard with high upside and letting it play out. But if faith in Garland and Sexton is high enough, the Magic’s picks offer a better chance to build a team around them.

Cleveland reportedly holds interest in Kuminga, and might even be looking at him with the third pick. But unless the Toronto Raptors are really sold on him, there is every chance the Cleveland Cavaliers could trade down and grab him at No. 5 instead. It would also allow the front office to take another talent – someone like Moses Moody, James Bouknight or Corey Kispert, for example — at No. 8.

But the Cavaliers will no doubt be wary of being the team that trades down, missing out on a generational All-Star who could change the face of the franchise, just to provide a better fit around two guards who do not turn out to be as good.

Trading down represents a huge risk. It is entirely possible Cleveland would rather just use the higher pick to take one of the guards and see who performs the best over time.

And if Houston goes for Green, Mobley presents a hugely exciting opportunity for Cleveland in the frontcourt to play with the two guards already on the roster. It would not make a lot of sense for the team to pass up the opportunity of taking him.

There are also rumors Cleveland is exploring trade options for Sexton, according to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, with his rookie extension window fast approaching. It represents a huge chance for the Cavs to go in a new direction by moving him on and taking Suggs or Green third to go alongside Garland, if they are preferred to Sexton.

Thus decision will be the most influential factor behind the likelihood of whether Orlando could trade up. But it has to be the preferred option for the Magic should the opportunity present itself.