​  

After a midseason shakeup to acquire future Hall of Fame guard James Harden via trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the eventual champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
As the Cavs look to regroup during the offseason, one avenue to retool the roster will come via the No. 29 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft.
Cleveland didn’t possess a first-round selection in 2025, drafting Tyrese Procter and Saliou Niang in Round 2. The year prior, in 2024, the Cavaliersnabbed wing player Jaylon Tyson with the 20th overall pick. Tyson has since become a reliable rotational player for head coach Kenny Atkinson, due in large part to his knock-down shooting from 3-point range.
So, what will the Cavs opt to do with their first-round pick in 2026? A roundup of NBA mock drafts gives fans an inkling of which prospects they could target late in Round 1.
Cavs reads: Cavs say star guard Donovan Mitchell is right No. 1 to lead team
Yahoo! and CBS Sports have Cavs selecting international guard in 2026 NBA draft

At that No. 29 pick in the first round of the draft, both CBS Sportsand Yahoo! Sports have the Cavaliers selecting international guard Sergio de Larrea.
A Spanish professional basketball player who plays for Valencia Basket Club as well as Spain’s national basketball team, de Larrea is a 6-foot-6 point guard projected to be taken in the late first round of this year’s draft.
As CBS writes, “De Larrea has a calm knack for the game and seldom plays in a hurry. He’s not a plus defender and definitely will have some uphill adjustments to the speed and physicality of the NBA, but his creativity and propensity for pop plays would give Cleveland another spice on the rack as the Cavs look to position themselves as the No. 1 or 2 seed in next year’s Eastern Conference.”
At just 20 years old, de Larrea’s combo of size and playmaking would bring an intriguing addition to Cleveland’s bench.
Yahoo! notes that Keon Ellis and Dean Wade are both free agents this summer, with Max Strus set to hit free agency in 2027, so adding a prospect who could step into one of their roles could be Cleveland’s plan of action.
“De Larrea is a tall playmaking guard with major feel and a knockdown jumper who thrives within team concepts,” Kevin O’Connor wrote for Yahoo!
ESPN’s NBA mock draft has Cavs addressing frontcourt depth

In a recent NBA mock draft from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, the Cavs go a different route than the above by addressing their frontcourt depth behind center Jarrett Allen and power forward Evan Mobley.
The pick? UConn senior big man Tarris Reed Jr., who is 6-foot-11, 265 pounds.
“After making a strong case for himself by putting up three 20-plus-point games in the NCAA tournament, Reed has built momentum on the workout circuit and is trending toward the late first round. His mix of length, physical heft, rebounding instincts and offensive skill make him an appealing plug-and-play role player, and he should appeal to contending teams,” Woo writes.
Woo calls frontcourt depth “an obvious area of need” for Cleveland, a team that doesn’t possess many reliable options in the frontcourt when Allen and Mobley need to get a breather.
Reed Jr. stood out in the NCAA Tournament, particularly against No. 1 seed Duke, when he scored 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added four blocked shots in a 73-72 win. For the season overall, Reed Jr. averaged 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per contest.
At 22 years old, he’s among the older prospects available this year. However, that added experience, as Woo notes, could make him a good “plug-and-play” option for a team looking to contend right now.
Could the Cavs look to trade their 2026 first round pick?
Another option that could be on the table for Cleveland is trading the No. 29 pick in the draft.
While adding a young prospect to the existing core is certainly a worthwhile option, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on ESPN Cleveland that the Cavs are looking to shed salary and may aim to move on from guard Dennis Schroder.
What better way to entice another franchise to take on salary than by throwing in the added incentive of a first-round draft pick?
Now, that may not be what Cleveland ultimately wants to do, given the circumstances. Nevertheless, if they’re able to find a trade partner who can send back win-now pieces while saving the Cavs some money in the process, parting with their late-round selection may be the move they make purely from a financial lens.
The Cavs are clearly in win-now mode, so bringing in established veterans may be the call over trying to swiftly develop a rookie draft pick. Time will tell.
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com. 
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: NBA mock drafts reveal what Cleveland Cavs could do with pick No. 29

      ​Read More