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Why the Cleveland Cavaliers should pick Mikal Bridges in the 2018 NBA Draft

In an NBA Draft full of upside, Mikal Bridges stands out as the best "win-now" option for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2018 NBA Draft, I have to admit, I'm a little bit biased. After four straight Finals runs and an NBA championship, it's hard for me to get out of "win-now mode."

With few exceptions, the NBA Draft is very much anything but "win-now." With the one-and-done rule having been in place for more than a decade, prospects have never appeared less ready to immediately contribute to a championship contending team.

That's why I wasn't a fan of the Cavs acquiring a draft pick as the key piece of the Kyrie Irving trade and I've advocated for them to trade it for an established player since. Nevertheless, hours away from the draft, Cleveland still owns the Brooklyn Nets' No. 8 overall pick, by way of the Boston Celtics.

To this point, the Cavs have been linked to a number of prospects, most of which would make sense for a traditional team picking in the top-10. Michael Porter Jr.'s upside might be too high to pass up on. Trae Young possesses tantalizing potential. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is intriguing. And Wendell Carter Jr. could be the next [insert favorable big man comparison here].

Credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

None of that, however, fits into the Cavs' timeline if their goal is to re-sign LeBron James this summer and continue competing for championships. Of the draft prospects listed above, none spent more than a year in school. And for a team that just got swept by the Golden State Warriors, it's hard to imagine a 19 or 20-year-old helping close the gap on the two-time defending champs,

Perhaps that's an unrealistic expectation for any rookie, but at the very least, the Cavs should be looking for players who can aid immediately in their championship pursuit. And when it comes to this year's crop of prospects, one player in particular stands out -- and he just so happens to have championship experience of his own.

The player I think the Cavs should draft on Thursday night doesn't draw comparisons to Stephen Curry like Young, nor was he a top-ranked high school star like Porter Jr. In all likelihood, he'll turn out to be a solid, albeit unspectacular pro, the type best suited to be the fourth or fifth best player on a championship team.

If you're already this far into this article, then you know the player I think the Cavs should select is Mikal Bridges. And while I know I'm not alone, I also know I'm in the minority; the upside of the one-and-dones is a much sexier sell.

Bridges may not be anything more than steady 3-and-D wing, hardly the type of player who will help you win the press conference. But anyone who watched the NBA Finals knows the Cavs could use one of those, given the struggles and age of J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver.

"Bridges is an easy player to slot on almost any NBA roster, thanks to his multipositional defensive versatility, 3-point shooting and role-player potential," ESPN's Jonathan Givony wrote in his latest mock draft. "He isn't as gifted a shot creator as you'd like from a top-10 pick, but on this roster, he won't need to be."

Givony slotted the Philadelphia 76ers to select Bridges at No. 10 -- two picks after he has the Cavs taking Porter Jr. at 8. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski also reported on Thursday that the Cavs are one of a few teams looking to trade up in the draft lottery, hardly a sign that they're targeting the Villanova swingman.

Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

A two-time national champion with the Wildcats, Bridges averaged 17.7 points and .435 percent from 3-point range this past season. He'll be 22 by the time the season starts -- something that would typically work against him in a draft lottery filled with 19-year-olds.

But if the Cavs can't use the No. 8 pick to extract a ready-made star from another team, drafting a rotation player like Bridges might be the next best thing. And sure, the possibility exists that James could always bolt this summer. But even if Cleveland is destined to go into rebuilding mode, there are worse pieces to begin that process with than arguably the most mature player in the draft lottery.

Plus, if the No. 8 pick doesn't net a player capable of helping close the gap against the Golden State, James' mind might be made up anyways.

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