While the Cleveland Cavaliers are now legitimate title contenders, that wasn’t the case earlier in the decade. Heading into the 2021 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers were on the heels of a 22-50 season and still looking for their first playoff appearance since forward LeBron James departed in the summer of 2018.
In that year’s draft lottery, the Cavaliers had a real puncher’s chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and the consensus top prospect was guard Cade Cunningham. Cleveland’s odds at securing the top pick were 11.5 percent, but the team ended up with the No. 3 selection, much to the delight of Cunningham. The 24-year-old admitted during a podcast appearance with Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant that he didn’t want to get drafted by the Cavaliers.
“Top three was Detroit, Houston and Cleveland,” Cunningham said.
Durant then asked Cunningham if he had a preference as to which team he wanted to play for out of college.
“Not at all actually, bro,” he said. “Now, whenever the lottery was happening and it started cutting down, I’m like, ‘It’s final three — it’s Cleveland, Houston and Detroit.’ I’m like, ‘Don’t let me go to Cleveland.'”
Cunningham continued.
“I don’t know if it was the red and blue, I don’t know if it was the — Isiah Thomas,” he said. “It was just a history for it. I was a big Bron (LeBron James) fan growing up, you know what I’m saying? But I’m not trying to go to Cleveland, bro.”
Of course, the Detroit Pistons ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and they used that pick on Cunningham. While his opening three seasons in Detroit were marred by losing, he’s helped the franchise turn around for the better in a major way as of late.
Last season, Detroit made the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and gave the New York Knicks all they could handle in the opening round. Plus, Cunningham has Detroit sitting atop the Eastern Conference in the 2025-26 season with a 12-2 record. The Pistons are winners of every one of their last 10 games, and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are the only team in the league with a better record.
The Cavaliers may have missed out on Cunningham, but they still managed to draft quite the consolation prize at the No. 3 pick in big man Evan Mobley.
Mobley is already one of the league’s best two-way players at 24 years old, and he’s on the heels of a season that saw him earn an All-Star nod as well as the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The next time Cunningham’s Pistons will do battle with Mobley’s Cavaliers will be on Jan. 4 of next year.