Draft Notes: Cavs, Rockets, Raptors, Warriors

General manager Koby Altman represented the Cavaliers at the NBA Draft lottery and it worked. They moved up two spots.

“I was probably 12th on the depth chart,” Altman joked to reporters. “Important year. It was a lot of pressure. But I wanted to step up and do it.”

As it stands the Cavs have their highest pick in Altman’s tenure — third overall.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity. I think it really positions us well,” Altman said. “When we started this a few years back we talked about building through the draft and creating sustainable success.”

Prospects expected to fall in the No. 3 range of next month’s draft are expected to be the type of players that make a immediate impact. The list includes USC center Evan Mobley, Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, G League Ignite guard Jalen Green and Ignite forward Jonathan Kuminga.

“There’s some real game-changers at the top of this draft, but also it puts us in a position to capitalize on different opportunities,” Altman said. “When you look at our young core, we’re in good shape from a talent perspective and we’re going to have another large injection of talent coming soon. At the top of this draft there’s size, there’s athleticism, there’s talent, so we’re really happy.”

More Draft Notes

• In case you missed it, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said prior to the lottery that Cleveland was among the teams that would aggressively pursue trades centered on their pick in an effort to “accelerate their rebuild.” That’s not expected to change. You can read that full story here.
• Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle took a look at who the Rockets may take at No. 2, assuming the Pistons go with Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham at No. 1, as expected. Young listed the usual suspects, and early word is, the Rockets are favoring Mobley.
• The Raptors were another team that moved up, and will now be selecting No.4 overall two years after winning the championship. “You can imagine it was incredibly stressful,” GM Bobby Webster said of lottery night, via Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. “It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. Obviously you are in this position because the season wasn’t what you planned, but it’s also a silver lining.”
• Warriors GM Bob Myers made it pretty clear he will explore trading the pick, given that the franchise is hardly in development mode. “That’s not the plan,” Myers said. You can read that full story here.