CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the Locked On Cavs podcast in the video player above is from June 17, 2021.
For the first time since 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally found some luck at the NBA Draft Lottery; as a result of Tuesday night's drawing, the Cavs now know that they'll be selecting third in next month's NBA Draft, which will take place on July 29.
At 22-50, Cleveland entered the draft lottery tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fourth-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick and slotted in the No. 5 position. The Cavs, however, jumped to the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder to move into the top three.
As a result of Tuesday's draft lottery, the top 14 picks of the 2021 NBA Draft will belong to the following teams:
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Toronto Raptors
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Golden State Warriors
- Orlando Magic (via Chicago)
- Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Charlotte Hornets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Indiana Pacers
- Golden State Warriors
Thursday night's draft lottery marks the first time since the 2014 NBA Draft that Cleveland made a jump in the lottery, and the team ended up selecting Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall that year (only to end up trading him to Minnesota for Kevin Love). In 2018, the Brooklyn Nets' first-round pick, which the Cavs' owned via the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, failed to move up from No. 8, while Cleveland fell from the No. 2 draft lottery position to the No. 5 overall pick in both 2019 and 2020.
This year's offseason promises to be a pivotal one for the Cavs as they enter the fourth year of their rebuild following LeBron James' free agency departure in 2018. Speaking to reporters last month, Cleveland general manager Koby Altman expressed optimism for the franchise's future.
“In terms of being in Year 3, we’re in a really good position," Altman said. "There’s no quick fix. I can’t snap my fingers and turn this thing around but I do know that we’re set up for sustainable success."
Specifically, the Cavs have not selected at No. 3 since 1972, when they took Dwight Davis out of Houston. Davis played just three seasons in Cleveland, averaging 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game across 235 contests.