2014 NBA Draft News: Orlando Magic Offering Arron Afflalo, No. 4 and No. 12 Picks for Cleveland Cavaliers’ No. 1 Overall
The Cleveland Cavaliers are being offered various packages for the overall No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft set this Thursday. One such offer—from the Orlando Magic—has apparently grabbed their attention.
“The Cavs do have some interest in the Magic's offer of Arron Afflalo, the No. 4 pick and the No. 12 pick,” according to a source by Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.COM.
Other offers for the top pick in the draft include the Philadelphia 76ers’ Thaddeus Young plus the No. 3 pick and the Utah Jazz’s Derrick Favors and the No. 5 pick.
Part of the Cavs interest of the Magic offer is drawn from the fact that they want to “win-now” as opposed to restarting a total rebuilding process with young guys.
Bringing in a veteran like Afflalo, a two-way player that can be efficient on both ends of the floor will complete a potent backcourt with star point guard Kyrie Irving. The move can also attract free agents—namely big names like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony— and convince them that indeed the Cavaliers are serious in being contenders for the 2014-2015 NBA season and beyond.
James and Anthony are expected to opt out of their current contracts with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks, respectively and officially become free agents by July 1.
The Cavaliers also have cap space to work with in this offseason with only $32.04 million committed to seven players. This does not include team options on Anderson Varejao ($9.80M) and Alonso Gee ($3.25M) while Luol Deng will also hit free agency.