Cleveland Cavaliers: 8 times they missed out on a superstar in the NBA Draft
By Tony Pesta
4. Kawhi Leonard/Klay Thompson – 2011
Following LeBron James’ infamous decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, the franchise was desperate to stop the wheels from falling off. After winning just 19 games in their first season without the King, Cleveland found themselves with two valuable first-round picks due to a previous trade with the LA Clippers.
To say they got lucky is an understatement. The Cavaliers secured both the first and fourth overall picks, putting them in a perfect position to rebuild the team at rapid speeds.
Despite only appearing in 11 games for Duke, Kyrie Irving became the top pick. This risky move paid off in a big way for the Cavs as Irving reached four All-Star Games with the team and hit arguably the biggest shot in NBA history.
Selected at fourth was Tristan Thompson. Though not as important as Irving, there is no doubt TT played a pivotal role in bringing home the 2016 championship.
In retrospect, these two picks appear to be successful. However, realizing the Cavaliers could have had either Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson is a tough pill to swallow. Thompson was drafted 11th overall while Leonard fell to 15th.
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Since then, Leonard has won two Finals MVP’s and is one of the league’s best players. Meanwhile, Thompson has won three championships and is in the discussion for being the greatest 3-point shooter of all-time.
The Cavaliers could have had their own version of the Splash Brothers in the backcourt with Kyrie and Klay. Or, they could have had an interesting one-two punch of Irving and Leonard. Either way, it is disappointing to think of what could have been.