NBA Rumor: Cavs wanted Klay Thompson in 2011

Chris Grant and the Cavaliers were reportedly close to adding a third lottery pick in 2011 in shooting guard Klay Thompson. From Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Grant had multiple deals in place but all of them would fall through for a variety of reasons.

Klay Thompson scored 16 points and shot just 5-for-16 Sunday, but how good would he look in a Cavs jersey? It nearly happened on draft night in 2011. One NBA source told me recently the Cavs were trying frantically to add a third top 10 pick in that 2011 draft. Byron Scott told me months later it was the night he really came to believe Chris Grant knew what he was doing and was the right man for the job, watching him work the phones trying to get a third pick.

The Cavs selected Kyrie Irving first overall and Tristan Thompson fourth. Grant wanted one more pick and one of his targets was Klay Thompson. The Cavs talked to the Sacramento Kings about a deal involving J.J. Hickson for the No. 7 pick, but the Kings ultimately dealt the pick in a different deal and the Cavs sent Hickson to the Kings after the draft for Omri Casspi and a future pick. Then the Cavs had a deal in place with the Utah Jazz for the No. 12 pick, but the Warriors snatched Thompson at No. 11. The Jazz ultimately backed out of the deal with the Cavs and selected shooting guard Alec Burks.

A 6-foot-7-inch shooter, Klay Thompson is the quintessential shooting guard for Mike Brown’s preferred offense. The Washington State product has improved year-over-year in the scoring department since entering the league, and is presently averaging just under 20 points per night for the Golden State Warriors.

As a consolation prize, the Cavaliers would ultimately sign (and release) undrafted rookie Mychel Thompson, the older brother of Klay.

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