The Cleveland Cavaliers have found plenty of help in the draft over the years, and not just when they’ve been sitting near the top of the board. Some of their best value has come after the first round, where the franchise has turned second-round and late-pick swings into real contributors.
Foots Walker is one of those names that deserves a spot in the conversation, even though he was technically a third-round pick. He went 38th overall in 1974, which is enough to count here, and he became one of the more dependable floor generals in the early days of Cleveland basketball.
Walker spent his first six NBA seasons with the Cavs and peaked at 8.0 assists per game in 1979-80. Over his Cleveland run, he averaged seven points, five assists and nearly two steals a night.
Fans from those early years remember him as somebody who knew how to drop dimes.
Hot Rod Williams arrived with a lot of history around him, even if the pick itself came quietly at No. 45.
The second-round selection turned into one of the most useful players Cleveland had in the 1980s and early 1990s. Williams stayed with the franchise for nine seasons, helped the Cavs reach six postseason teams, and played a key role in the 1991-92 Eastern Conference Finals run.
He also finished in the top six in Sixth Man of the Year voting twice. Across 661 games in Cleveland, he averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and 1.8 blocks before finishing his career with the Mavericks.
Cedric Henderson brought value in a different way. Picked 45th in 1997, he stepped right into the lineup and became one of four rookies from the 1997-98 team to make a serious impact, alongside Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Derek Anderson and Brevin Knight.
Henderson started immediately, averaged 10 points, four rebounds and two assists, and added more than a steal per game while appearing in all 82 games with 71 starts. In the postseason, he took on the primary defensive assignment against Reggie Miller.
He remained a starter early in 1998-99, then shifted into a bench role over his final two seasons in Cleveland. After four years with the Cavs and one with Golden State, he was out of the league.
His son, Cedric Henderson Jr., later played for the Cavs Summer League team a few years ago.
Carlos Boozer came in at No. 35 in 2002 and wasted no time making an impact. The Duke product played just two seasons in Cleveland, but the production was strong from the start.
He averaged 10 points and eight rebounds as a rookie, then jumped to 15 points and 11 rebounds in his second year. He fit well next to LeBron James in the team’s developing frontcourt.
But his Cleveland stint ended after he told owner Gordon Gund he’d re-sign after the 2003-04 season and then left. He remains one of the more unpopular players in recent memory in Cleveland, though his brief on-court work was hard to dispute.
Daniel “Booby” Gibson, the 42nd pick in 2006, became one of the most beloved shooters the Cavaliers ever had. He made an immediate mark in the playoffs as a rookie, scoring 31 points in Game 6 against Detroit to help send Cleveland to the Finals for the first time.
Gibson spent his entire seven-year career with the Cavs and was out of the league after the 2012-13 season at just 26. He shot 41% from three for his career, and in today’s game he might be taking 9-12 threes a night.
He finished with 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 397 appearances, including 77 starts.
In Other News...
Koby Altmans Trade Record Just Got Even Harder For Cavs Fans To Defend
Koby Altman has never been shy about reshaping the roster, and his time running the Cavaliers has produced plenty of deals that still linger in the conversation around this team. The latest review of his tenure lays out how often Cleveland has been willing to move pieces, from high-profile swings to more subtle salary and rotation tweaks, with the results landing all over the map. It is a useful reminder that Altmans front office has often preferred action over caution, even when the return has not always matched the ambition.
The harder part for Cavs fans is sorting through the deals that have aged badly, especially when names like DeAndre Hunter, Darius Garland, James Harden, Ricky Rubio and Caris LeVert keep coming back into the discussion. Each trade tells a slightly different story about fit, timing and the cost of trying to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference, and together they have made Altmans record feel more volatile than some around the team would like to admit. With that kind of history attached, every new move gets judged not just on the present, but on whether it adds to a pattern Cleveland is still trying to outrun. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Carr Still Has A Place In Cleveland's New TV Picture
Austin Carr is staying in the Cavaliers broadcast mix, with Rock Entertainment Sports Network confirming hell return for the 2026-27 season after his absence from the teams initial TV announcement had created some uncertainty. The longtime Cavaliers voice will mostly work as a pregame and postgame analyst in the studio, keeping him in a familiar role around the franchise he has long represented.
Carr may also pop up courtside from time to time, giving the network a little flexibility in how it uses one of the most recognizable figures in Cleveland basketball coverage. For Cavaliers fans, the bigger takeaway is simple enough: one of the clubs most familiar media voices still has a place in the new TV picture, even if the rollout briefly suggested otherwise. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs' James Harden Had Fans Reacting To His Surprise Soccer Appearance
James Harden popped up in an unexpected place over the weekend, taking in the Arsenal-Chelsea Premier League matchup at Emirates Stadium from the suites. The Cavaliers guard watched a lively one from above as Arsenal rallied for a 2-1 win, with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard delivering the goals after Chelseas Morgan Rogers opened the scoring.
Harden also made sure the visit was noticed, posting a message on his official X account praising the game. For a player whose travels tend to draw attention wherever he goes, the surprise soccer appearance gave fans another reminder that his offseason and downtime can become a story all by themselves, especially when they happen far from the NBA floor. [Read more 🡒]