Emoni Bates recently signed a two-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was one of three two-way signings for Cleveland, alongside undrafted free agent guard Craig Porter Jr. and 2022 second-round pick Isaiah Mobley, a 6’8″ big man.
With the 49th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, taking a swing on Bates was a good idea, as he has a really high upside but a really low floor. There isn’t a lot of risk in taking Bates at 49, but if he can reach his full potential then Cleveland will be one of the scariest teams in the league with Bates in the starting 5 instead of someone like Caris LeVert, Max Strus, or Isaac Okoro.