The Cleveland Cavaliers own the first overall pick of the NBA draft for the second straight year, but that may change. Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, who said the phone was already ringing with trade offers, acknowledged the team would trade their No. 1 pick for the right offer.
Cleveland won the draft lottery Tuesday night for the third time in four years, despite having the ninth-best chance of doing so. Griffin, in his first year as Cleveland's general manager, wasted no time in putting it out there: The first overall pick is up for grabs.
"I actually got calls right afterward, while I was standing there doing media," Griffin told ESPN on Wednesday. "Teams were already reaching out and texting, so I think it will be an active period of time. ... We're going to be open-minded to whatever it is that advances our cause the furthest."
The upcoming draft is already considered to have one of the most talented classes since 2003's class, which included LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid all are in contention to be the No. 1 pick, and talent such as Dante Exum and Marcus Smart give any team with a top five pick a chance at acquiring a franchise-caliber player.
The latest mock draft from ESPN's Chad Ford has Cleveland taking Wiggins with the first pick.
Selecting Wiggins, who's primarily viewed as a shooting guard, would make incumbent 2-guard Dion Waiters expendable. Embiid could be another option with the top pick if the 7-footer can prove his back is healthy -- there's some doubt whether teams will be able to bring him in for a physical before the draft, according to Ford.
If the Cavaliers were to trade their pick, they'd likely be able to acquire a proven All-Star - such as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love.
