Cavs should think long-term with No. 29 pick

Personally, I’d lean toward keeping it.

Why? Because the Cavs already have a roster built to contend. The core of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen remains intact, and the front office’s challenge is finding affordable contributors around them.

That’s where late first-round picks can become valuable. The bigger debate is what type of player the Cavs should target.

Do they draft someone who is older and more NBA-ready? Or do they swing for upside?

I’d go with upside.

The reality is that any rookie selected at No. 29 is unlikely to crack Kenny Atkinson’s regular rotation right away. Heck, there were times this past season when Atkinson struggled to find minutes for Keon Ellis, Jaylon Tyson and Nae’Qwan Tomlin.

If those guys were fighting for opportunities, a rookie probably won’t be stepping in and playing 20 minutes a night.

That’s why it makes sense to think a little bigger.

Find the player with the highest ceiling. Find someone your development staff loves. Then let him grow.

Cavs president Koby Altman has repeatedly emphasized player development as a cornerstone of the organization. He touched on that again after the season, noting that Cleveland hired Atkinson in large part because of his reputation for developing young talent.

That’s not just coach-speak. It’s become part of the organization’s identity.

Look around the league and you’ll find playoff teams built on finding value in unexpected places. Sometimes those players come in the lottery. Sometimes they arrive late in the first round. Sometimes they aren’t drafted at all.

The Cavs have put themselves in a position where they don’t need immediate help from a rookie.

That should allow them to be patient. At No. 29, I’d take the best long-term prospect on the board and trust the development system to do the rest.

Those types of picks don’t always pay off. But when they do, they can become the kind of affordable rotation pieces every contender needs.