Cleveland Cavaliers clinch playoff berth, will officially send first-round draft pick to Indiana Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their 48th win of the 2022-23 season on Sunday night by taking down the Houston Rockets. By getting win number 48, the Cavs clinched a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference for this season, meaning they will be playing postseason basketball in April.
The Indiana Pacers benefit from this. In 2022, the Pacers traded Caris LeVert to the Cavaliers in exchange for two second-round draft picks, a lottery-protected first-round draft pick, and Ricky Rubio.
Cleveland ended up in the lottery in 2022, so the first-round draft pick was rolled over to the ongoing season. Meanwhile, Indiana selected Andrew Nembhard with a second-round pick acquired in the deal and Rubio re-signed with Cleveland. There is still a 2027 second round pick floating out there for the Pacers from the deal, but most of the trade obligations were settled until recently.
Because the Cavaliers clinched a playoff berth on Sunday, they can no longer end up in the lottery. That means the Pacers are guaranteed to have the Cavs 2023 first-round draft pick, giving Indiana three picks in the first round. They already acquired Boston's as well.
If the season ended today, Cleveland's first round pick would be 25th overall, though it could easily finish anywhere between 24 and 27. The Pacers will be rooting against the Cavaliers and the Celtics for the remainder of the campaign.
On top of the first-round draft pick, the Pacers also acquired Nembhard and another second rounder in the LeVert deal. It was an excellent trade for the blue and gold as Nembhard has been a starter for most of the season and is a promising young player.
Cleveland is fourth in the Eastern Conference with six games remaining. The Pacers are still within striking distance of the play-in tournament with seven games to go, but they have already begun experimenting with lineups down the stretch of the campaign. The NBA season ends on April 9.
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