The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have time to dwell on their disappointing exit from the 2025 NBA Playoffs, as the 2025 NBA Draft is almost here, and the Cavaliers have a pair of picks at their disposal. To be specific, Cleveland will be drafting with the No. 49 and No. 58 overall selections.
Neither of those two picks might stand out as incredibly appealing to Cavaliers fans, but there’s always a chance that Cleveland could draft a diamond in the rough with one of those selections. Arguably the best player in the NBA right now was drafted in the second round, as Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic was selected with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
With the draft set for Wednesday (first round) and Thursday (second round), let’s look at which prospects have worked out with the Cavaliers and which have been connected to the team in recent mock drafts.
Players who have worked out for the Cavs
Steven Ashworth
Few players in the nation did a better job at leading an offense than Ashworth did for Creighton University last season. The guard led his team and conference in assists per game with 6.8 and was a lights-out free-throw shooter as well, considering he shot 93.0 percent from the charity stripe.
T.J. Bamba
Bamba is still quite a raw offensive player and has plenty of room for improvement on that end, but he has the defensive skill set needed to seemingly make an impact right away at the highest level. He was among the best defensive players in the Big Ten Conference in the 2024-25 campaign, as in his last season of college basketball, he was named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team and averaged 1.8 steals per game.
Brooks Barnhizer
Barnhizer was limited to just 17 appearances with Northwestern University in his senior campaign, but he was arguably the team’s best player when he was healthy enough to suit up. His presence was felt across the stat sheet, as he averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game.
A.J. Clayton
Clayton is an uncannily talented shot blocker for a player of his position and stature. He’s a forward and stands at just 6-foot-7, yet he averaged 1.6 blocks per game in his final two seasons at Ohio University and led his conference in rejections per contest as a senior.
Dain Dainja
Dainja was highly effective scoring the ball from inside the 3-point line with the University of Memphis in the 2024-25 college season. He averaged 14.6 points per game (the second-most of any player on his team) and ended up tops in his conference with a field-goal percentage of 61.5 percent.
Dylan Cardwell
Cardwell could be a solid depth option for the Cavaliers at the center position behind big man Jarrett Allen. The former Auburn University standout has a limited offensive package, but he’s a strong rebounder and rim protector.
Mohamed Diawara
Diawara has intriguing physical tools and loads of defensive potential, but his numbers with Cholet Basket in the French LNB Elite league left plenty to be desired. He didn’t exactly produce at a level that screams future solid NBA player, as he averaged just 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game across 27 contests in the 2o24-25 season.
Eric Dixon
Dixon might just be the best scorer on this list, as the former Villanova University standout torched the nets for 23.3 points per game not long ago in his fifth season playing at the collegiate level. He scored the ball at such a high volume on commendable efficiency as well, as he shot 45.1 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from deep.
R.J. Felton
Folks would be hard-pressed to find a prospect at the guard position that has the level of scoring and rebounding chops that Felton possesses. He stands at just 6-foot-3, yet he was able to lead East Carolina State University in defensive rebounds per game last season. Not only that, but he led his team in scoring while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range.
Coleman Hawkins
Hawkins did basically everything at a high level outside of scoring the ball in his lone season at Kansas State University. The forward averaged 6.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game in the 2024-25 campaign. Comparatively, he scored just 10.7 points per contest on 40.1 percent shooting from the floor.
Zach Hicks
Hicks’ most alluring trait as a basketball player might just be his ability to space the floor. Across four seasons playing college basketball, he shot 37.0 percent from 3-point range and buried 41.3 percent of his 3s as a senior with Pennsylvania State University.
C.J. Huntley
Huntley enjoyed a breakout season with Appalachian State University in the 2024-25 campaign after he didn’t average more than 9.2 points per game in any of his first four seasons of college basketball. He scored 15.7 points per game in his swan song and was also a force on the glass, considering he pulled down a team-high 8.1 per game.
Gabe Madsen
Madsen is a confident and talented scorer, but his scoring inefficiency throughout his college career indicates that he might not have what it takes to be a great offensive player at the highest level. He shot just 39.2 percent from the field for his collegiate career and shot 37.1 percent from the floor with the University of Utah in the 2024-25 season.
Ian Martinez
Martinez was an offensive engine for a very successful Utah State University squad a season ago. He led the way from a scoring standpoint with a team-high 16.4 points per game, and the 6-foot-3 guard ranked in the top three on the Aggies in assists per contest as well with 2.7.
Cam Matthews
Matthews didn’t turn heads with his play on the offensive side of the ball at the collegiate level, as he never averaged more than 9.9 points per game in a single season. However, he spent much of his five-season stint at Mississippi State University as a disruptive defender, as he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team twice and led the conference in steals per game in the 2024-25 campaign.
Grant Nelson
Nelson is a talented two-way big man who provided the University of Alabama with consistent scoring and rebounding punches in the 2024-25 season. Per 40 minutes of action, he averaged 18.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. However, it seems likely at this point that he doesn’t have the touch necessary to add a consistent 3-point shot to his hame.
Saliou Niang
Niang is an international talent, as he spent the 2024-25 season playing for Dolomiti Energia Trento of Italy’s LBA league. He barely played over 20 minutes per game with the Italian squad last season, though he still managed to show off his rebounding chops and averaged 5.0 boards per contest.
Clifford Omoruyi
Omoruyi is a defensive demon and one of the more gifted shot blockers on this list, as he averaged as many as 2.9 blocks per game in a season at the college level. He’s also a strong rebounder who makes the most of his opportunities to score the ball inside.
Jaxson Robinson
At 6-foot-7, Robinson seemingly has the physical profile needed to be a great guard at the NBA level, but he needs to hone his all-around game. He never averaged more than 1.8 assists per game in any one of his five seasons playing college basketball.
Steve Settle III
Settle showed as much growth as a 3-point shooter last season as any player on this list. The forward didn’t convert more than 35.2 percent of his 3s in any one of his opening four seasons of college basketball, but he shot 41.6 percent from that range across 31 games with Temple University in the 2024-25 campaign.
Jamir Watkins
After two unspectacular seasons playing for Virginia Commonwealth University, Watkins found his footing in the collegiate ranks playing for Florida State University, and he was the Seminoles’ go-to scorer last season. He averaged a team-high 18.4 points per game, though his efficiency could have been better at 42.7 percent shooting from the field and 32.1 percent from deep.
Amari Williams
Williams capped off his college career at the University of Kentucky after playing four seasons at Drexel University. He averaged 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game with the Wildcats last season.
Players who have been linked to the Cavs in mock drafts
Vladislav Goldin
A mock draft published by ESPN on Monday has the Cavaliers using their No. 49 overall pick. Goldin was a dominant scorer with the University of Michigan last season, as he scored 16.6 points per contest while converting 63.4 percent of his shots from inside the 3-point arc.
Ryan Nembhard
That very same mock draft then projects that the Cavaliers will use their No. 58 selection on the former Gonzaga University star guard. Nembhard led the nation with 9.8 assists per game in the 2024-25 season.
It’s notable that Nembhard has allegedly worked out for the Cavaliers as well, and he even shot “better than expected” during the workouts.
Alijah Martin
Kevin O’Connor predicted in a different mock draft that Cleveland will draft Martin with the No. 49 pick. He was an important part of a University of Florida team that won the national championship earlier this year. Martin averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Gators in the 2024-25 season.
Martin reportedly had a “really good” day in his workout with the Cavs.
Izan Almansa
O’Connor then foresees Cleveland using its other pick in the draft on a relatively unproven international player. Almansa played in 29 games in the NBL in the 2024-25 season and averaged just 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.