CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavs did not win the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night, but in general manager Koby Altman’s view they still hit the jackpot.
With a pair of Nick Gilbert’s now famous bow ties at his side – one the original that netted the Cavs the No. 1 pick in 2011 and other made from a piece of their 2016 championship court – Altman left the lottery with the No. 3 selection and a critical piece to move the rebuild forward.
“There could be a game-changer where we are picking,” Altman, who joked he was 12th on the depth chart to represent the team, said.
And that’s exactly what Altman and the young Cavaliers need.
Altman admitted his heart was racing while he sat with two phones in front of him while mic-ed up and with an earpiece as the envelopes were pulled.
“I think it really positions us well,” Altman said. “When we started this a few years back, we talked about building through the draft and creating sustainable success. There’s some real game-changers at the top of this draft, but [it] also puts us in position to really capitalize on opportunities throughout the landscape of the NBA.”
This draft is not the only place Altman could add the game-changer he is looking for this offseason.
Altman could flip the pick for an All-Star to supplement their young core that consists of Collin Sexton – picked eighth overall in 2018, Darius Garland – the No. 5 pick in 2019, Isaac Okoro – last year’s fifth overall pick and Jarett Allen – acquired in a midseason trade earlier this year.
“I know this pick is tremendously valuable,” Altman said. “If that’s the direction that we want to go, with that ammunition, we can certainly get in some conversations, but we really do like this draft.”
The Detroit Pistons won the No. 1 pick, Houston the second and Toronto, who leaped into the top four along with Cleveland, will select fourth.
Oklahoma City, which won a coin toss with the Cavs after both teams finished with identical 22-50 records for the fourth assigned slot for the lottery, fell to No. 6 behind Orlando.
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham is expected to go No. 1 overall but there is plenty of elite talent available including Jalen Green of the G-League Ignite, Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs, USC’s Evan Mobley, Baylor’s Davion Mitchell and Florida State’s Scottie Barnes that has Altman and other GMs around the league extremely excited about the class.
“Even beyond the top five there could be potential All-Stars,” Altman said.