INDEPENDENCE, Ohio _ The Cavaliers put aside their concerns about LeBron James' future in Cleveland and tried to correct a mistake from last August.
With the eighth overall pick in Thursday night's NBA draft, the Cavs selected freshman point guard Collin Sexton of Alabama.
The Cavs acquired the pick in last summer's trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and they missed Irving tremendously in the NBA Finals, when they were swept by the Golden State Warriors.
James can opt out of the final year of his contract by June 29 and become a free agent. But Sexton had a message for James when interviewed by ESPN's Maria Taylor.
"Man, LeBron, let's do it," Sexton said. "I see you need a few pieces. Let's go back to the Finals. Let's do it."
Last season, when coach Tyronn Lue used 30 lineups, eight different players started at point guard. That included (in order) Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, James, Iman Shumpert, Isaiah Thomas, George Hill, Rodney Hood and Cedi Osman.
Acquired from the Kings at the trade deadline, Hill, 32, was a disappointment in the playoffs, averaging 9.2 points and 2.2 assists in 29.3 minutes of 19 games.
Sexton averaged 19.2 points and 3.6 assists last season in leading the Crimson Tide to their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2006 before falling to eventual national champion Villanova.
Known for his elite speed and quickness and fearlessness attacking the basket, Sexton is an explosive leaper and finisher, which he can do with either hand.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Sexton "overall the best point guard prospect in the draft" despite his .447 field goal percentage, including .336 on 3-pointers. Bilas noted that Sexton shot .778 from the free-throw line.
"Oftentimes when a guy who doesn't shoot it well from the field makes his free throws, that means he can really improve," Bilas said in a conference call this week.
Alabama had not had a player selected in the top 10 since Antonio McDyess went second in 1995.
Earlier in the day, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Cavs were among a group of teams that also included the Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and the LA Clippers trying to trade up.
They traded their own first-rounder to the Lakers in the Feb. 8 deal that sent Thomas to LA and brought in Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson.
The Cavs hadn't had a first-round pick since 2015 and that year they selected point guard Tyus Jones of Duke, then immediately sent him to the Timberwolves for two second-round picks, which became Rakeem Christmas and Cedi Osman. Their 2014 first-rounder, Andrew Wiggins, was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves two months later for Kevin Love.
The last first-rounder to play for the Cavs was Anthony Bennett in 2013.
