Joel Embiid tops the Cavaliers’ draft board pending health, according to report
The Cleveland Cavaliers will research Joel Embiid’s back condition before making a final decision but currently see him as the top pick.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
A day after the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft lottery, Kansas Jayhawks center Joel Embiid leads the team's draft board, but first-year general manager David Griffin will need to investigate the center's back issues before committing with the top overall pick, reports ESPN's Jeff Goodman.
Cleveland, which had a 1.7 percent chance of winning the draft lottery with the ninth-best odds, had not put all of its focus on deciding which of Embiid, Wiggins and Parker would be considered the top overall pick.
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Embiid skipped the draft combine last week, fueling concerns that the back problems that ended his freshman season at Kansas are still an issue. Fellow potential overall picks Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins also skipped the combine to prevent themselves from hurting their draft stock.
Learning more about Embiid’s health will be a testy process for the Cavs and the newly-appointed Griffin, as Goodman reports that Embiid’s agent, Arn Tellem, might keep his client from doing physicals with some teams. It’s believed that Tellem could send Embiid to a single workout, thereby directing the center to the team of his choice.
Even if Embiid’s back checks out, there will still be discussion about who to select with the top overall pick -- Griffin also didn’t rule out trading the pick, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but there would have to be a very good reason for a deal to take place.
Wiggins will receive serious consideration for being the top pick, according to ESPN's Chad Ford. Embiid's KU teammate presents as much upside and also fills an immediate need with Luol Deng hitting free agency this summer. Meanwhile, Parker is widely considered the potential first overall pick who will have the most immediate impact.
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