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NBA Draft buzz: Cleveland Cavaliers may look to trade up for Michael Porter Jr.

According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, the Cleveland Cavaliers could potentially trade up to select Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr.

As the NBA Draft approaches, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to be linked to Michael Porter Jr. And momentum for the Cavs to select the Missouri freshman forward only gained steam on Thursday morning, when ESPN's Jonathan Givony released his final mock draft.

In his latest and final projection, Givony pegged Cleveland to draft Porter with the No. 8 pick. According to the draft expert, however, the Cavs may not be willing to wait that long to make their selection, as he noted that "there's buzz that the Cavs may try to trade ahead of Chicago to land Porter."

Givony's news nugget comes just days after Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon reported executives around the league believe the Cavs would select the 6-foot-10 forward should he be available at No. 8. The second-ranked player in the 2017 recruiting class, Porter was considered a potential future No. 1 overall pick before back injuries limited his freshman season to just three games.

"Porter came into the season with hopes of making a run at being the No. 1 pick in the draft. However, he wasn't able to build his case because of a back injury," Givony wrote in his assessment. "Porter's size, skill and scoring instincts nevertheless make him a coveted prospect. He is a playmaker on both ends of the floor and is just starting to figure out how to put his talent to full use."

The NBA Draft analyst also noted that Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma guard Trae Young have picked up momentum when it comes to the Cavs' pick. Keep it locked on WKYC.com throughout the day for all the latest leading up to the draft (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) on Thursday night.

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