Cleveland Cavaliers Showing Interest in Rising Big Man Prospect

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be taking notice of a certain big man in this year's draft.

Nov 15, 2022; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (5) dribbles against Appalachian State Mountaineers forward CJ Huntley (15) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Appalachian State defeated Louisville 61-60. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers may be keeping tabs on one intriguing big man prospect during the weeks ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.

According to a post on social media from the university, Appalachian State big man CJ Huntley completed a pre-draft workout with the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are one of many teams seemingly taking notice of Huntley ahead of this year's draft, now joining the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, and New Orleans Pelicans in bringing in the tenured five-year forward.

Huntley comes off a career-best season with Appalachian State, starting in 31 games to average 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on just over 33 minutes a night, effectively landing him on All-Sun Belt second team at year's end. Huntley also stood out notably as an improving three-point shooter over the years, most recently averaging 35.6% from deep on nearly four attempts a night.

With the Cavaliers enduring this summer without a first-round pick at their disposal, seeing them dive a bit below the surface for their pre-draft workouts with a name like Huntley makes sense. Instead, Cleveland will have two second-rounders to utilize on the latter half of the board at picks 49 and 59.

If the Cavaliers are fans of what they saw from Huntley, both of their day two selections could present an opportunity to take a late swing on his services, or things could even fall in favor for Cleveland to scoop him up as an undrafted free agent, but that may be easier said than done with at least six other teams showing enough intrigue to bring him into the building as well.