Cedi Osman made a good account for himself at the 2017 EuroBasket after his stellar performance with the Turkish men’s basketball team. The Cleveland Cavaliers-bound swingman led his team in points (16.0 ppg), rebounds (5.0 rpg) and (3.8 apg) assists, and played impressive individual defense over six games in Europe’s top-tier hoops competition. Expectations will be higher than ever for the 22-year old Osman, who is just one of several flex players the Cavs brought in for next season’s campaign.
High-impact player
The Cavs signed Osman to a three-year, $8.3 million deal last summer, two years after acquiring his draft rights in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Pre-draft scouting report described Osman as a versatile prospect with elite physical tools, great mobility at his size and high basketball I.Q. Although his offensive game was still pretty raw at that time, Osman proved to be a great finisher on the open court because of his size and athleticism.
At the 2017 EuroBasket, Osman showed significant improvement in his game, particularly on the offensive end. He has become a perimeter threat, shooting 41 percent FG and 35 percent from the three-point area. Defensively, he was as good as advertised, disrupting opposing guards with his quickness and challenging perimeter shots with his 7-foot wingspan.
The Cavs made it a priority this summer to acquire flex players who can defend well out on the perimeter and hit three-point shots.
They are hoping Osman, Jeff Green and newly-acquired two-way player Jae Crowder will give them the versatility and firepower to match Golden State Warrior’s potent small-ball offense.
Shopping Brooklyn’s first-round pick
The Cavs are open to trading the Nets’ 2018 first-round, which they acquired in the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics.
Many initially thought Cleveland will be keeping the pick so they can draft a high-ceiling prospect such as Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr. in case LeBron James bolts out next summer.
However, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported that the Cavs are interested to shop the coveted draft pick on a condition they get an established player or another star.
The Cavs apparently feel confident they can persuade James to stay in Cleveland for a long term.
The pick opens many options for the Cavaliers to further bolster their current lineup, including the possibility of trading the pick along with a couple of players (Iman Shumpert and Kevin Love) for DeMarcus Cousins whose contract with the New Pelicans expires at the end of next season.
