As it turned out, Charlotte fell yet again in the NBA draft lottery, finishing fourth, behind Cleveland, Orlando and Washington.
That gives the Cavs a lot of flexibility. They have a nice backcourt in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters and some other not-so-bad pieces (Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller, who has work to do but undeniable potential).
But clearly not enough.
With a lot of cap space as well, Cleveland may opt for a big-name trade. Kevin Love's name has already come up.
They could conceivably work a deal with one of the teams below them like Charlotte, which might really want Nerlens Noel or Ben McLemore, and still be in position to get someone like Victor Oladipo, who would be a blast with Cleveland, plus whoever they could pick up in a trade.
Whatever happens, at the least Cleveland should pick up a useful player or two. And next year's lottery promises to be ridiculous, so if the Cavs don't improve significantly this year, they could be in contention for a really significant upgrade next year.