Draft Rumors: Cavs, Emoni Bates, Pacers, Pistons

Cavaliers

The Cavs’ pick went to the Pacers as part of the 2021 trade for wing Caris LeVert — and turned out to be the 26th selection this year. So their lone pick is now in the second round, No. 49 overall.

Keep an eye out for Emoni Bates, the Eastern Michigan forward who was once considered to be among the top three or four prospects of his high school class. He actually began his college career at Memphis before transferring to EMU and the Mid-American Conference.

There’s a chance Bates could still be around when the Cavs select and teams do love his upside. Questions about his dedication, though, are rampant.

Other prospects considered to be in the range that the Cavs are selecting: Missouri guard/forward Kobe Brown, UCLA shooting guard Amari Bailey, Texas swingman Dillon Mitchell and Serbian center Tristan Vukcevic. All of that could change between now and June 22, of course.

• The Cavs do intend to keep the pick and not trade out of the draft entirely, sources said. They also plan to take whoever is at the top of their draft board, going with the best available player, regardless of position.

Pacers

• The Pacers could have an interest in Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, should he still be around at the No. 26 pick, sources told Hoops Wire.
• Jackson-Davis “might not be the biggest forward in this draft class, but he has crafty footwork around the rim and a much-improved midrange game,” wrote Kristen McPeek of Yahoo Sports.
• From the sounds of things, the Pacers have no intention to bring five rookies to the team next season. So that indicates it’s highly unlikely that they keep all five draft picks. We have that full story here.

Pistons

Given that the Pistons finished fifth in the lottery, they are likely to be picking from a pool of about five prospects, per Marlowe Alter of the Detroit News.

Those five players include twin wings Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson of Overtime Elite, as well as Villanova small forward Cam Whitmore, Houston forward Jarace Walker, and Arkansas guard Anthony Black. You can check out Alter’s full story here.

• In case you missed it, the Pistons are open to exploring trades centered on the No. 5 pick. They also need to hire a coach, of course. Either way, you can check out more on the idea of a trade right here.