Who Will the Cleveland Cavaliers Take At No. 1 in the NBA Draft?

For the third time in four years the Cleveland Cavaliers have defied the odds and locked up the first pick in the NBA draft. All talk about the lottery being rigged aside, Cleveland is the definition of ineptitude when it comes to running a professional basketball franchise. This was proven when it took Anthony Bennett No. 1 overall over a ton of more qualified prospects last June. 

Cleveland’s previous regime did pick up All-Star guard Kyrie Irving first overall back in the 2011 draft, but this is a franchise that has struggled making the right pick at the right time in the past. It also had a surprising 2013-2014 campaign and will be fielding what promises to be a solid young team this upcoming fall.

Will the Cavs get it right in 2014? Let’s check in on their options and who is most likely to go first overall next month.

Andrew Wiggins, Forward, Kansas

With Luol Deng set to be a free agent, the Cavaliers could use a young option at power forward. Sorry Michael Bennett fans, he might not be that guy. The 2013 top pick averaged just over four points in under 13 minutes of action per game as a rookie. Even if the Cavs have high hopes for Bennett moving forward, it’s going to be hard for them to pass up on the talent that Wiggins brings.

Wiggins averaged 17.1 points and over five rebounds per game in his only season with Kansas. He’s a talented wing man that can take it to the hoop on a consistent basis. In reality, this budding star would be the perfect complement to Kyrie Irving for Cleveland.

Jabari Parker, Forward, Duke

While reports indicate that Cleveland prefers Wiggins over Parker, it’s hard to deny what the former Duke standout brings to the table. He tallied an average of 19.1 points and over eight rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range in his only college season. Teaming Parker up with a fellow former Dukie would give the Cavs a solid one-two-punch moving forward.

Joel Embiid, Center, Kansas

Is Embiid as talented as Wiggins or Parker? Probably not. What he does is bring a big, skilled presence to the center position for a team that has a less-skilled youngster in the form of Tyler Zeller likely manning the fort moving forward. The seven-foot center put up 11.2 points and over eight rebounds per outing for Kansas last season. He has tremendous touch on the short-range shots and is extremely athletic for someone his size. While Embiid is somewhat raw, especially considering he just started playing basketball in 2011, his ceiling is through the roof. Adding him to the mix with Irving would give the Cavs a great inside-out threat.

Trade Option(s)

Courtesy of NBA.com: Is Love worth the No. 1 overall pick?

Trading the No. 1 overall pick for a veteran is a long shot, no matter what team holds that top pick. With that said, Cleveland finds itself in an interesting situation. It has only $47 million tied up in its roster heading into the offseason and could be tremendous players in the free agent market.

The only issue here is who would be worth the top pick? Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony, Klay Thompson? Not entirely sure about any of those three outside of Love. In any event, the idea of potentially bringing in two All-Star caliber players (one in free agency and one in a trade) to team up with Irving could help the Cavs contend sooner rather than later.

Photo: Fox Sports