INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — We’ll know soon enough whether Jaylon Tyson can make enough shots to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win, but he’s already hit enough punch lines to headline at Funny Bone.
He has a big personality. Whether he has the game to match is a question for April, May and June. The Cavs have reached the point in their contention cycle when those are the most important months of the year. It’s a good place to be.
JAYLON TYSON, CLEVELAND CAVALIER. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/4YlKONetwz
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 27, 2024
A big summer of activity is falling neatly into place. Tyson was introduced Thursday as the team’s first-round pick, new coach Kenny Atkinson will meet the public Monday, and Donovan Mitchell can agree to terms on a mammoth extension any minute now.
Mitchell and the Cavs remain close on a new contract, which will automatically make this a successful summer in Cleveland. An important few weeks loom, but it’s worth taking a moment and celebrating if and when Mitchell signs an extension of any length. The 2022 trade was an enormous gamble. An extension means the Cavs won. That’s a really big deal.
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First, though, is Tyson. I found it interesting the Cavs followed the same pattern they did the last time they were in this position. Two years ago, when Mitchell was still in Utah and the Cavs were just starting to take winning seriously, they ignored upside and used the 14th pick on more of a finished product, Ochai Agbaji.
Ultimately, it didn’t really matter because Agbaji was one of the many pieces the Cavs sent the Jazz in the deal that brought Mitchell to Cleveland. It’s also worth noting Utah has already moved on from Agbaji, sending him to the Toronto Raptors at last season’s trade deadline.
It’s the strategy that’s noteworthy more than the specific player. The Cavs are about to run low on first-round picks, and they won’t control their own draft again until 2030 (better start scouting those eighth graders!). They’ll have a couple of first-rounders between now and then, but they don’t have the capacity to trade them, and they’re most likely not going to be very high since they’ll be the worse of their pick and Utah’s. That brought a unique importance to this draft.
Much like in 2022, the Cavs chose a more polished player over upside. Tyson is 21, which makes him eligible for Social Security by NBA Draft standards. He is polished enough to step right into this rotation on the wing, although the Cavs are deep and talented enough that they hope they won’t need him right away.
The upside/finished product debate doesn’t have a right or wrong answer at this stage of the draft. It’s really just an organizational philosophy. There was a time under different leadership when the Cavs wanted to use late first-rounders to swing big on upside (Christian Eyenga, anyone?).
Isaac Okoro is a restricted free agent this summer. It’s certainly not impossible for him to return, but history indicates the majority of restricted free agents who reach this point rarely stay long-term with the team that drafted them. Similarly, Caris LeVert is entering the final year of his deal. The Cavs needed a wing with size who can shoot, which is why Tyson is moving here.
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The Cavs continue to tell teams that call they aren’t interested in trading Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen. The Athletic reported after the season ended that, if Mitchell signs an extension, Garland’s representation could try to force him out of Cleveland. The problem with that is Garland’s contract is massive, and his value is deflated after a down year. Allen could likely fetch more in a trade, but the Cavs seem resolved to keeping the frontcourt intact and seeing whether Atkinson’s history in player development can help expedite Evan Mobley’s offensive growth in his fourth year.
The league also has made it more difficult to trade star players and build super teams with the punitive measures taken against high-paying tax teams. The Cavs haven’t had to worry much about the tax since their championship window closed, but that all changes when Mobley’s extension begins.
The Boston Celtics can bring back all of their key players from a team that just won a championship. The New York Knicks pushed all in by trading their future drafts for Mikal Bridges, giving them the assortment of physical wings needed to challenge the Celtics. The Milwaukee Bucks remain a threat when fully healthy. The Indiana Pacers play fast and score a lot of points. The Miami Heat are dangerous every postseason. The Orlando Magic are coming — quickly.
Somewhere in there lie the Cavaliers. Tyson was just the first step. An important summer in Cleveland is officially underway.
Required reading
(Photo: Darren Yamashita / USA Today)
