What Would It Cost for Cleveland Cavaliers To Trade Up in the NBA Draft?

The 2026 NBA Draft is being considered as an all-timer. With the draft approaching at the end of this month, could the Cavaliers look to make a draft day trade?

Apr 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and forward/guard Max Strus (2) after a play against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Koby Altman does not seem to be looking to make any major changes to the Cleveland Cavaliers roster this offseason. It seems that Evan Mobley, James Harden, and Donovan Mitchel will all be returning to the team next season.

However, the rest of the roster seems up in the air.

The Cavaliers hold the 29th pick in this year's draft. Although it is a late pick, the talent is projected to be deep. But could the team make a move before the draft for a more guaranteed star?

Trading into the Top 5

This would result in the Cavs giving up one of their core four starters. A top five pick would bring some amazing talent in like Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, or Darryn Peterson who are looking to be top three locks.

Caleb Wilson would be a good choice if the Cavs wanted to move up, they would likely have to have a talk with the Chicago Bulls who hold the fourth pick with most NBA mock drafts having him land in the Windy City.

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) drives to the basket against Miami Hurricanes center Ernest Udeh Jr. (8) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Jarrett Allen would likely be the focal point of this trade, along with somebody like Max Strus and the 29th pick being the minimum. This is unlikely.

Trading into the Lottery

Trading into a top 14 pick is a bit more realistic given what the Cavs have at their disposal. There is still a chance that an Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen would be moved but if the Cavs are looking late lottery at one of Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg or Aday Mara to be a future big on the team.

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) and forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) celebrate a made basket Saturday, April 4, 2026, during a Final Four game against the Arizona Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cleveland does not have much future draft capitol that they can just give up. When they traded for Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland gave up multiple first round picks through 2028.

Again, Max Strus, Sam Merrill or Jarrett Allen look to be players they could move on from that are worth it for lottery teams.

Trading Up Outside the Lottery

Being at 29, making a trade up slightly from there to 18-25 would be easy enough. Most teams are looking to trade back in those spots to try and get talent. Cleveland could be just the team that has guys teams need.

Add Dennis Schroder into that list of players that you could move away from in these slots. Jarrett Allen likely is not worth it at this spot in the draft.

Potential players like Dailyn Swain, Tarris Reed Jr., or Luigi Suigo are all players in that 18-25 projection that fit Cleveland's needs. Those are players that could be worth moving on from a rotational player making too much money.

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) shoots against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Going up in the draft gives the Cavs the opportunity to drop some money since they are still in the NBA’s second apron.

The 2026 offseason has already shown that it is going to test the Cavaliers and they need to respond well.