Pick History
The first major event of the NBA offseason (even though the playoffs are now underway) is the Draft Lottery.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers- along with the other 14 teams not in the playoffs- will find out where they are picking come draft day in October.
The Wine & Gold have a 14 percent chance of making the first overall selection, a 40.1 percent chance of staying in the top three, and a 79.9 percent chance of staying in the top five. The lowest spot the Cavs can fall is No. 6.
Let's go down memory lane and take a look at who the Cavs drafted at spots 1-6 in past drafts...
First Overall Pick
Inside the top six, the No. 1 pick is the one the Cavs have held the most times, at six.
The first time picking at the top was in the Wine & Gold's second year of existence, in 1971. While this pick was pre-Draft Lottery, the Cavs were still able to grab a franchise great in Austin Carr. Known as "Mr. Cavalier", Carr was selected out of Notre Dame after a fantastic collegiate career. Carr sits in the top-ten of many franchise records, including games played (No. 6) and points scored (No. 4). His #34 jersey is retired and he is currently the color commentator for Cavs games on TV.
In the NBA Draft Lottery's second year- 1986- the ping-pong balls bounced in the Cavaliers favor. Brad Daugherty was the pick in '86 out of the University of North Carolina. Daugherty is now one of the franchise greats and his number is hanging in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
When 2003 came along, there was no doubt who Cleveland would tab with the first overall pick. LeBron James, the Cavs'- and perhaps the NBA's- greatest player, is a homegrown player from down the road in Akron, Ohio. James had a wildly successful career with Cleveland, highlighted by winning the 2016 NBA Finals, two MVP awards, and many postseason buzzer-beaters.
The 2011 Draft Lottery started a mid-2010s run of the Cavs drafting at number one. In '11, Cleveland tabbed Kyrie Irving, a point guard with a silky-smooth handle and a great three-point shot with little college experience under his belt. Irving happened to hit the biggest shot in franchise - and maybe league - history and was one of the biggest pieces in that championship winning squad.
Just two years after picking Irving, the Cavs received the top pick again and drafted Anthony Bennett, a forward out of UNLV in 2013. While Bennett didn't pan out on the court, he was part of the trade that brought Kevin Love to Cleveland in 2014.
The Cavs went back-to-back with No. 1 picks in 2013 and '14. 2014 was the most recent time the Wine & Gold made the draft's first selection. While Andrew Wiggins never played a regular season game for the Cavs, he (like Bennett), was an integral part in the trade to Minnesota for Kevin Love.
Second Overall Pick
The Cavs have only picked in the No. 2 slot just one time in team history. This one time was back in 1973, when Jim Brewer was selected out of the University of Minnesota. In his five seasons wearing the Wine & Gold, Brewer averaged 7.5PPG and 7.7RPG while missing just five games in those five seasons.
Third Overall Pick
Similar to the pick before, Cleveland has picked here at three just one time.
That one time netted the Cavs Houston native Dwight Davis in 1973. In Davis's rookie season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team by averaging 9.4PPG and 7.0RPG. He played for the Cavs until 1975.
Fourth Overall Pick
The fourth pick has proved to be a big one for the Cavs, and both picks came in back-to-back years in the mid-2010s.
Just three picks after drafting Kyrie Irving, the Cavs grabbed Tristan Thompson with the fourth pick in 2011. Thompson is in the Cavaliers top-ten in total rebounds, blocked shots, and field goal percentage. Like his draft mate, TT was an important piece in the 2016 championship run.
The next year, Cleveland drafted Dion Waiters out of Syracuse. Waiters averaged 14.3PPG on 42% shooting in two-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland. He was part of a trade that helped set up the championship core. Dion was involved in a three-team deal that brought J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland in January 2015.
Fifth Overall Pick
The Cavs have picked at No. 5 just one time in 50 seasons, but it happened to be the most recent selection in the Lottery.
Last June, the Cavs got a franchise cornerstone out of the fifth pick. Darius Garland showed flashes of potential and being a franchise point guard all throughout his rookie season. The Vanderbilt product has a great handle and smooth three-point shot to go along with great court vision.
Garland is one of three first round picks on the Cavs roster (Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr.), and will look to take steps forward next season with them and 2020's selection.
Sixth Overall Pick
This is the fourth pick inside the top six that the Cavs have held just one time.
With the sixth pick in 2002, the Cavs picked Dajuan Wagner out of Memphis. Wagner played for the Wine & Gold for three seasons, starting 24 games in his rookie season. He averaged 9.4PPG and nearly two assists per contest during his time with Cleveland.
The sixth pick is the lowest the Cavaliers can pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.