Cavs to pick fifth in 2019 NBA Draft

The lottery odds didn’t work out in the Cavs’ favor this time around.

At Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, the Cavs fell to No. 5 overall, down from the No. 2 spot. Cleveland had a 27.8% chance of landing the fifth pick.

The Cavs falling to No. 5 obviously isn’t ideal. It certainly takes them out of the running for Zion Williamson and almost certainly means the Cavs won’t be able to take either R.J. Barrett or Ja Morant.

However, there are players like DeAndre Hunter and Jarrett Culver who could be available at No. 5 who could make sense for the Cavs and what the franchise wants to build with new head coach John Beilein. This pick could say a lot about what Beilein, Koby Altman and the rest of Cleveland’s brain trust has planned for the future of the franchise.

What caused the Cavs to fall to No. 5 was chaos. The Lakers, Pelicans and Grizzlies all jumped up into the top-four, bumping the Cavs, Suns and Bulls down in the lottery odds. The Pelicans, who are picking No. 1 overall, had a 6% chance of landing the pick.

The full draft order is as follows:

1. New Orleans Pelicans
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. New York Knicks
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Washington Wizards
10. Atlanta Hawks (via Dallas Mavericks)
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
12. Charlotte Hornets
13. Miami Heat
14. Boston Celtics (via Sacramento Kings)